Insurer Applauds New Auto Standard

The motor vehicle safety standard for side impacts, announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration earlier this month, should save an estimated 300 lives a year and reduce hundreds of injuries, an insurer said.

Los Angeles-based Farmers Insurance Group Inc., noting the projected reduction in fatalities, said it supports Safety Standard 214 requiring automakers to conduct new side-impact crash tests that will likely lead to installation of more side air bags.