A reader wrote in to share with us the death of her teenager from the deployment of an airbag. We were very sorry to hear about her loss. Nothing we can say will bring back her beloved child. But perhaps others can learn from her grief and willingness to share. Her questions brought up issues that should be addressed. But she did not entirely explain the circumstances of her teen's death -- specifically what happened -- but only that she believed he was killed by the airbag
When accidents happen, we're a society that expects both an explanation and a place to lay blame. This is especially true when we are grieving. It is appropriate for this mother to look for answers.
"If I knew a year ago what I know today, I would have never bought Shawn that new Dodge Dakota," she wrote.
It is important to know that regardless of the car a parent buys a teen, it is the teen's responsibility to drive it safely. The only thing a parent can do is insist on the child driving a safe vehicle and get that young adult the best possible driver's training that money can buy. This means that parents need to buy themselves the safest possible vehicle if their kids are going to be driving their car. And, if parents buy their children a car, they need to buy them safest vehicles possible as well.
Generally parents purchase inexpensive vehicles which do not have the latest safety features and perform the worst in crash tests. Or the parents buy the kids what the kids' want -- an image car with no concern about safety whatsoever. This is problematic as teens and young adults have the highest incidence of accidents both serious and fatal. Statistically boys between the ages of 14 and 23 are the mostly likely to be killed in car accidents -- the leading cause of death for them. This is due to aggressive and "devil may care" youthful indiscretion. Hence, our support of buying them a safe, heavy vehicle (like a Volvo, Meredes-Benz, BMW, Ford Taurus, etc.) that can take a hit.
Trucks -- which includes pickups, most minivans and most SUVs -- do not have to meet the same safety standards as passenger cars. Therefore, these vehicles are generally not as safe. Trucks weigh a great deal and have very long stopping distances. Because teens have little experience with driving, let alone panic situations, trucks are not the best choice for them. Additionally, trucks are not designed for high-speed use. They are utility vehicles meant for low-speeds, hauling and around-town trips. Modern highway driving is not the most efficient use for truck-like vehicles. If that's the kind of driving one does, pick a passenger car.
How does NHTSA know that life was "saved" by an airbag?
Barely 150 people have been killed by airbags since recordkeeping on the matter began in 1990. However the statistics were not really complete until about 1995 (view http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/SCIFiles/1199rpt.htm for the complete list.) Fully half of those deaths were small children and infants riding in the front passenger seat where they just aren't safe -- airbag or no airbag. Most of the rest were adult drivers who were not wearing seatbelts at the time of their accidents. Compare that to the tens of thousands of deaths that occur every year from crashes and the hundreds of thousands of injuries. The picture is clear it is accidents that kill, not airbags.
