Auto safety chief says Florida at risk for problem air bags

MGN

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The head of the federal government’s auto safety agency says around three-quarters of ruptured air bags the agency has tested are coming from Florida.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Mark Rosekind said at a news conference Tuesday that Florida drivers are particularly at risk from the defective air bags.

Rosekind was visiting Orlando to encourage drivers to check if their vehicles are affected by recalls of Takata air bag inflators. He visits Miami on Wednesday.

Takata has recalled almost 34 million air bag inflators in the United States.

At least eight people have been killed and 100 have been injured by Takata air bags, which can explode with too much force and spew shrapnel into the vehicle. One of the deaths was in Orlando.

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