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8th US Death Due To Takata Air Bag Explosion Confirmed

WASHINGTON (WWJ/AP) - U.S. transportation officials say they have confirmed an eighth U.S. death due to an explosive air bag made by auto parts maker Takata.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration spokesman Gordon Trowbridge said Wednesday a teen driver died a hospital a few days after being injured in a July crash near Pittsburgh. He said NHTSA learned of the death last week after a lawyer for the teen's family contacted the agency."

NHTSA also announced that former Justice Department official John Buretta has been selected to serve as an independent monitor to oversee Takata's compliance with an air bag recall agreement with the government.

WWJ Auto Analyst John McElroy says only one in four people generally take their cars in after recalls, so he does not believe this is the end of the air-bag related deaths.

"There is a procedure for disabling the airbag; and, as long as you wear your seat belt, you're going to be protected in almost any kind of an accident," McElroy said. "But you need to be able to go to NHTSA's website and find out the way that you can have this legally done.

In the U.S., about 23 million Takata air bag inflators have been recalled on 19 million vehicles sold by 12 auto and truck makers.

TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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