FAQ: Air Bag Safety

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How can a driver or passenger tell whether a vehicle has an air bag?

Vehicles with air bags have one or more of the following markings:

• The words "Air Bag" or the letters "SRS" (Supplemental Restraint System) or "SIR" (Supplemental Inflatable Restraint) on the steering wheel and dashboard panel.
• A warning label on the sun visors or on the sides of the open door frame.
• A warning in the vehicle owner's manual. Consult the owner's manual to find information about carrying children safely in a vehicle equipped with an air bag.

Another way to determine if you automobile is equipped with an air bag is based on the year of the vehicle. If the model year of the vehicle is a 1998 or newer, federal regulations require the automobile to have both driver and passenger side air bags. If your vehicle is a light truck is a 1999 model or newer, was Starting in model year 1998, all new passenger cars must have dual air bags (driver and passenger side). Starting in model year 1999, all new light trucks must have dual air bags.

Why are air bags dangerous to children age 12 and under?

Air bags inflate at speeds up to 200 mph -- faster than the blink of an eye -- to protect adults in a front-end collision. That blast of energy can severely hurt or kill passengers and drivers who are too close to the air bag. An infant's head in a rear-facing safety seat is directly in front of the air bag as it breaks through the dashboard and instantly inflates. Even some forward facing child safety seats could possibly place the child within range of the air bag before it is fully inflated. Also, if a child is unbelted, or too small for the lap and shoulder belt to fit properly, or wriggling around or leaning forward, there is a danger that the child will be too close to the dashboard during that instant that the air bag begins to inflate.

How can an air bag work so well for adults, but hurt children in the front passenger seat?

An average size adult who is correctly belted is not likely to come in contact with the air bag until it is fully inflated. A fully inflated air bag spreads the forces of the crash across a wide area of the body. Even an unbelted adult will probably come in contact with the air bag at the chest area after the bag has at least partially inflated. For greatest protection, both the driver and front passengers should be buckled up and the seats moved back as far as practical to allow ample space for the air bag to expand. Unbelted or improperly belted children can easily slide off the seat during pre-crash braking, throwing them against the dashboard where the air bag can strike them on the head or neck with tremendous force before it is fully inflated.

The air bag only inflates in front end crashes and collapses immediately. For protection in all types of collisions -- multiple, rollover, rear end, side and front end -- it is very important to always use both lap and shoulder belts.

Why are children safer in the back seat?

The rear seat is the safest seat for any passenger. Head-on crashes cause the greatest number of serious injuries. A person sitting in the back seat is farthest away from the impact and less likely to be injured. People sitting in the rear have the soft back of the front seat in front of them, instead of hard surfaces like the windshield, mirror or dashboard.

If it is absolutely necessary for a child age 12 or under to ride in the front seat of a car with a passenger side air bag, secure the child in a restraint system that is correct for the size of the child -- a front-facing child safety seat, a booster seat, or a lap/shoulder belt -- AND move the front seat as far back away from the dashboard as possible.

If the vehicle has no back seat, such as a pickup truck, an infant will be safe in a rear-facing child seat only if the vehicle does not have a passenger side air bag or if it has a cutoff switch for the passenger side air bag.

In summary, people riding in the front seat who are most likely to be injured or killed by an inflating air bag are:

• Infants riding in rear-facing car seats
• Children age 12 and under who are not properly secured in a restraint system that is appropriate for their size -- a forward facing safety seat, booster seat, or correct fitting lap and shoulder belt
• Children or adults who are not buckled up
• Children or adults who place the shoulder belt either behind their back or under their arm
• Persons sitting too close to the steering wheel or dashboard so that they come into contact with the air bag before it is fully inflated.

Is it true that a passenger can be smothered by an air bag?

No! The injuries that occur are caused by the inflating bag hitting the head and neck of an out-of-position passenger or the inflating bag hitting the back of an infant seat behind a baby's head. The air bag loses its air right after it inflates, so the stiff fabric does not remain over the passenger's face.

When parents learn that an air bag can harm a baby in a rear-facing infant seat, many of them want to place the baby facing forward. Is this okay?

No! Infants must always ride facing the rear in the back seat. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warn that babies should ride facing the back until they are at least one year old and weigh at least 20 pounds. A child under age one does not have strong neck muscles; the head would snap forward in a crash if the baby were facing forward. This could cause serious neck and spinal cord injury.

When the child is facing the back, the force of the crash is spread across the whole body. The child seat harness must be snug, and the seat should be at a 45-degree angle to support the baby's head and maintain an open airway. Some safety seats have an indicator on the side to show the correct angle. A child seat that installs in a position that is too upright can be angled properly by using a firmly rolled sheet or towel under the foot of the seat.

Many parents don't want to put their infants in the back seat because they cannot see them. Shouldn't a parent keep an eye on the baby to make sure it is not choking or experiencing some other health problem?

The risk of a serious injury in a crash is much greater than the risk of a healthy baby having a life-threatening problem during a car ride. A healthy baby correctly buckled in a rear-facing child seat should be as safe as a child placed in a crib for a nap or an overnight sleep. Parents do not stay in the room to watch a sleeping baby. Drivers traveling with children should always allow plenty of time to pull off the road if they are concerned about the baby or need to tend to the child's needs.

If a child is too small to wear a shoulder belt correctly, will the lap belt protect the child from an air bag?

No. If a child uses only the lap portion of a safety belt, his or her upper body will be thrown forward when the driver brakes or during the crash itself. The inflating bag will strike the child's head and neck very hard.

Whether in the front seat or rear seat, children can suffer serious or fatal injuries if they wear a shoulder belt wrong, such as under the arm or behind the back. A child who is too short for the shoulder belt (for example, the belt cuts across the neck or face) should always use a convertible or toddler safety seat (if the child is under 40 pounds and 40 inches) or a belt-positioning booster seat (if the child is over 40 pounds and 40 inches). Remember that a belt-positioning booster seat must be used with both the lap and shoulder belts, preferably in the rear seat, which is always safer than the front seat.

I read that NHTSA issued new rules allowing manufacturers to depower the air bags in new vehicles. The car I now own has an air bag. Can I have a depowered air bag retrofitted in my car?

In March 1997, NHTSA issued a final rule to permit manufacturer's to use lower powered air bags. This rule will permit air bags to be depowered by 20 to 35 percent. Manufacturers are not required by the new rule to install depowered air bags in older cars. Each manufacturer will decide how to design and manufacturer new air bags for its vehicles to meet the new rule.

Should I put a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag?

No. Unless the vehicle is equipped with a cut-off switch for the air bag and the air bag is shut off, under absolutely no circumstances should a parent place a rear-facing infant seat in front of an air bag. There is an extremely high risk of severe injury or fatality in this situation, and a child should never be subjected to this risk. Even if the air bag is shut off or there is no air bag, the safest place for all children 12 and under is in the rear seat.

Many parents are concerned about having an infant rear-facing in the rear seat. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that a healthy baby buckled correctly in a rear-facing infant seat is as safe as a baby placed in a crib for a nap or overnight sleep. The risk of serious injury in a crash is much greater than the risk of a healthy baby having a life threatening health problem during a car ride. If no rear seat is available in which to place a rear-facing infant seat, and another mode of transportation is available, use of that alternative should be considered.

If you or someone you know has been hurt by an air bag, it is important to seek medical and legal assistance as soon as possible. In all medical product liability cases it is essential that measures be taken promptly to preserve evidence, investigate the procedure in question, and to enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate any injuries. If you believe that you may be a victim of an air bag deployment, call The Law Offices of Chuck Ervin now at 916-447-4357 or CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A SIMPLE CASE FORM. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to accept your case, we will work on a contingent fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds. Don’t delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.