The Supreme Court declined to reviewa federal regulation requiring automobile manufacturers to
phase in automatic seat belts or air bags for new cars sold in
the United States.
    The Department of Transportation (DOT) rule required that
the safety devices be installed, for the first time, on 10 pct
of this year's model cars. All new cars must have the devices
by the 1990-model year.
    The regulation, however, can be rescinded if states with
two-thirds of the U.S. population adopt mandatory seat belt-use
laws by 1989.
 Reuter
