1.   Analysts said installing such switches on a nationwide basis would make the service very expensive.

2.   A switch could be installed so that the bag could be turned on or off depending on whether there is a child or an adult up front.

3.   A switch can be installed as shown to control power to the new receptacles.

4.   But if drivers rush to install the switches, hundreds could die in crashes where an airbag would have saved them, officials said.

5.   But the federal government continues to stall on new rules that would allow dealers to disconnect the bags or install cut-off switches.

6.   For example, try to get an air-bag switch installed in your automobile anywhere in New England.

7.   Ford already installs cutoff switches for the air bags in its trucks that do not have back seats.

8.   If the agency approves the application, the car owner can have the switch installed.

9.   Just because the federal government has decided to allow drivers to install switches to deactivate their air bags does not mean that doing so is a good idea.

10.   McNutt said his device was cheaper than a switch and that a driver who installed a switch might forget to move it in the off position.