According to the NHTSA, from 1990 to 2001, 215 deaths were caused by air bags inflating in low-severity crashes. These deaths include 72 drivers; 10 adult passengers; 111 children between the ages of 1 and 11; and 22 infants.
NHTSA reported that virtually all of the 133 children killed were either completely unrestrained or were improperly restrained in the front seat. Most of the adults killed were unbelted. All of these fatally injured people were very close to, or in contact with, the air bag module when the air bag inflated.
According to the National Safety Council's Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, the rate of child deaths from air bags declined 90.3 percent between 1996 and 2000, despite the number of vehicles with passenger air bags on the road tripling during that time. The decrease is attributed in part to the fact that more parents and caregivers are getting the message about securing their children in the rear seat, and that many states have either toughened their seat belt and child restraint laws or beefed up enforcement of existing laws. For more information on the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, visit www.nsc.org/airbag.htm .
In addition, in 1997, the federal government allowed automakers to install frontal air bags that deploy with less force than previous bags. However, even drivers and front-seat passengers in vehicles equipped with these lower-force air bags must properly use lap-and-shoulder belts to minimize the risk of injury from a deploying air bag.
Safety belts help keep you in position for air bag inflation before and during a crash. Always wear your safety belts, even with frontal air bags.
Accident statistics show that children are safer in the back seat, properly restrained. This is true in all vehicles, even those without air bags. Rear-facing restraints SHOULD NEVER be used in a front seat with a passenger air bag, unless the air bag is turned off. Learn more at www.ourpreciouscargo.com; www.safekids.org; and the Safety section of www.gmability.com.
Who's at greatest risk for air bag injury?
The energy required to inflate air bags in the short time available can injure people who are up against, or very close to, air bags as they inflate. In the first few milliseconds of inflation, the forces can seriously injure anyone struck by an inflating bag. It is important to understand that serious inflation injuries can occur because of people's positions when the bags begin inflating. Anyone who is too close to an air bag as it begins to inflate is at risk. Most air bag deaths involve people who were not using lap-and-shoulder belts, were improperly belted or were positioned improperly.
Unbelted people, especially child passengers, are at risk because they are most likely to move forward if there is hard braking or another violent maneuver before a crash. They can get too close to their air bags and can be injured, or even killed. Other people at risk include drivers who sit — or who lean forward in their seats — too close to the steering wheel and infants in rear-facing restraints positioned in front of passenger air bags.
Safety belts help keep you in position for air bag inflation before and during a crash. Always wear your safety belts, even with frontal air bags.
Accident statistics show that children are safer in the back seat, properly restrained. This is true in all vehicles, even those without air bags. Rear-facing restraints SHOULD NEVER be used in a front seat with a passenger air bag, unless the air bag is turned off. Learn more at www.ourpreciouscargo.com; www.safekids.org; and the Safety section of www.gmability.com.
How far from the air bag should a driver sit?
The driver should sit as far back as possible, while maintaining control of the vehicle. The NHTSA recommends that drivers sit at least 10 inches away at all times.
I am expecting a baby and my car has air bags. What should I do?
NHTSA and GM recommend that pregnant women follow the same advice as other adults: Wear seat belts and stay as far as possible from the air bag. Wear the shoulder portion of the seat belt over the collarbone. The lap portion should ride as low as possible below the rounding, throughout the pregnancy. NHTSA recommends against pregnant women petitioning to have air bag on/off switches installed.
The best way to protect the fetus is to protect the mother. When a safety belt is worn properly, it is more likely that the fetus will not be hurt in a crash.
A recent study by the University of Michigan revealed that pregnant women wearing lap-and-shoulder belts are less likely to be seriously injured by a deploying air bag compared to unrestrained pregnant women.
Researchers found that the majority of pregnant women properly wearing a three-point belt, with or without an air bag, generally had good fetal and maternal outcomes for lower severity crashes. Though the number of cases is limited, air bags used in conjunction with three-point belts appear to have a positive effect on fetal outcome compared to three-point belt use only.
According to the study, the risk of adverse fetal outcome at a particular crash severity level is higher for improperly restrained or unrestrained pregnant women compared to properly restrained pregnant women. While placental, uterine, and fetal injuries may occur even with properly belted occupants, the majority of the cases involving these have been to unrestrained occupants.
According to the U-M study, of 31 properly restrained occupants, eight (25.8 percent) experienced fetal loss or major complications. Of 12 improperly restrained or unrestrained occupants, eight (66.7 percent) had fetal loss or major complications. These results clearly support the current recommendation for pregnant women to properly wear three-point belts.
