Safety: The view from NHTSA: New legislation promises to make cars safer, cheaper to repair, and less polluting during the 1980s

Long a popular surrogate for sex, status, and derring-do, the American automobile is now adapting — rather abruptly — to rising energy costs and tough safety legislation. Manufacturers and motorists reluctantly realize that ego trips must be sacrificed to insure that essential commuting, shopping, and business excursions can continue in relative profusion and safety. Two major decisions announced by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams during June 1977 have established a timetable for improved automobile crashworthiness and reduced operating cost.