Side airbags that protect the head and torso reduce the likelihood of death and upper body injuries to passenger vehicle drivers in near-side crashes by 61 percent compared with no side airbags. This is the main finding of a new study by the Monash University Accident Research Centre. The Victoria, Australia, study reinforces prior research on the effectiveness of side ... Read More »
Credit air bags with being lifesavers
Sheri Shepherd doesn't remember hearing the 170 decibel explosion as her air bag inflated. She doesn't remember feeling the air bag as it was propelled into her face and chest at 220 mph. Read More »
Use Of Incomplete Data Distorts Conclusions About Effectiveness Of Frontal Airbags
Are you safer in a vehicle with or without a frontal airbag? With the airbag, of course, despite a study by Mary Meyer and Tremika Finney of the University of Georgia. The main finding "” that airbags cause more deaths than they prevent"” is contradicted by years of published research establishing that airbags save lives. Read More »
Occupant Deaths From Inflating Airbags Have Been All But Eliminated
Evidence accumulates year by year that inflating frontal airbags in newer vehicles are causing few deaths and injuries. From a high of 68 deaths attributed to inflating airbags in 1995 model vehicles, only 1 such death occurred in a 2004 model (a 56-year-old woman in the front passenger seat). No deaths were caused by inflating airbags in 2002-03 models. Read More »
Consumers Gain New Information About Side Airbags That Meet Rules to Reduce Inflation Injury Risk
A voluntary agreement among automakers to test side airbags, using a set of performance requirements, is helping to assure that these features won't injure children and outof- position occupants in crashes. Read More »
Survey Finds Widespread Misuse Of Air Bag On-Off Switches in Pickups
Proper use of the switches requires drivers to turn the air bag off for children 12 and under but activate it when the passenger seat is occupied by an adult. Read More »
How to Ride Safely on the Passenger Side with an Airbag?
Always wear seat belts. This reduces the distance that they can move forward during a crash. Move the seat toward the rear. The distance between a passenger’s chest and the dashboard where the air bag is stored is usually more than 10 inches, even with the passenger seat all the way forward. But more distance is safer. Read More »
Alternatives to Deactivating your Airbags
Airbags save lives and should not be deactivated. There are very few exceptions to this rule. When you have a car with no back seat, children in their safety seats can be put in front with a deactivated bag. If the driver is unable to sit 10″ or more away from the steering wheel, the airbag can be deactivated but ... Read More »
How to be Safe when Driving a Vehicle with an Airbag.
Since the risk zone for driver air bags is the first 2-3 inches of inflation, placing yourself 10 inches from your driver air bag provides you with a clear margin of safety. This distance is measured from the center of the steering wheel to your breastbone. If you now sit less than 10 inches away, you can change your driving ... Read More »
AAA Survey Finds Repair Shops Unwilling to Install Airbag Switches
An informal survey of auto repair facilities by AAA reveals that nearly two-thirds of shops currently won’t install air-bag on-off switches because of concerns about potential liability. In a survey of 700 new car dealerships and other repair facilities in 29 states, only 16 percent of shops said they plan on installing switches for motorists who have authorization from the ... Read More »
