WASHINGTON - At car dealers this fall: new, more sophisticated air bags that adjust their force of inflation to the severity of a crash to protect passengers better.

So-called dual-stage air bags are on the 2000 models of some luxury cars and several of the nation's most popular family cars - the Ford Taurus and Honda Accord.

Safety experts say the new technology will reduce deaths and injuries from air bags that inflated explosively, prompting a public outcry.

In serious crashes, when passengers need the devices' full power to cushion them, the new bags inflate with about the same force as those in 1999 model cars. But in lower speed crashes, the air bags pop open with at least 20 percent less force.

A sensor in the front of the car detects the severity of a crash by calculating the change of velocity that occurs when another object, such as a car, crashes into it. Another sensor registers whether a front seat belt is buckled.