MS. CORNISH: Minnesota Democrat Jim Oberstar was a congressional staffer on the panel he now heads, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, when Congress began laying down the law on highway and auto safety in the 1960s.

REP. OBERSTAR: What I had then was a Ford Galaxy. And it had the very minimum seat belt, just the lap belt. It didn't have the shoulder belt. It didn't have the air bags. It didn't have adequate space and protection compartment between the engine and the driver. It was like so many other cars of its nature at that time. It was a death trap. ...

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