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Air bag safety
Air bags save
thousands of lives each year, according to The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA). In frontal crashes, air bags reduce
deaths among drivers by about 30 percent and among passengers by 27
percent.
Air bags, however, can be dangerous. If small children sit unbelted in
the front seat, they can be catapulted into the path of a deploying air
bag, which inflates with great force. This risk also applies to small
adults—who must sit close to the steering wheel in order to reach the
pedals—pregnant women and the elderly. Infants in rear-facing safety
seats on the passenger side can be severely injured because their heads
are in the direct path of an inflating air bag. If your airbag is
stolen or it deploys, you must get a new one, but you will be
reimbursed under the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance
policy.
Preventing
air bag injuries
Drivers should have all children sit in the backseat
wearing a safety belt. Infants should be placed in rear-facing car
seats and put in the backseat. Small adults should move the seat back
so that their breastbone is at least 10 inches from the air bag cover.
If this is not possible, air bag switches can be installed so that the
vehicle owner has the option of turning the bag off or on, depending on
the situation. In January 1998, NHTSA allowed auto dealers and repair
shops to begin installing air bag cut-off switches. Before the switch
can be installed, vehicle owners must complete a four-step process:
- Obtain an information brochure and
request form from NHTSA, dealerships or repair shops
- Return the form to NHTSA
- Receive authorization from NHTSA
after it reviews the case
- Take the vehicle to the service
shop along with the authorization from NHTSA which certifies that the
owner has read the brochure and met one of the four eligibility
classifications:
- rear-facing infant seat can be
in the front (necessary if the vehicle has no back-seat)
- driver's seat cannot be
adjusted to keep more than 10 inches between the driver and the
steering wheel
- putting a child 12 or under in
the front seat can not be avoided
- having a medical condition that
puts them at risk of injury when an air bag deploys
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