The Nation - News from Nov. 3, 1985

Ford Motor Co. will become the first domestic auto maker to offer air bags to the general public as a safety option on some models, a former federal safety official said. Joan Claybrook, who headed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration during Jimmy Carter’s presidency, said in an address to the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers in Orlando that Ford will announce the option Monday. A Ford spokesman would not comment on her report.