Although the debate continues over just how safe airbags are, one thing is certain: airbags save lives and reduce injuries. Since airbags were introduced in the late 1980s, they have saved more than 4,700 people, according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Airbags also decrease the risk of serious injury. A NHTSA study found that air bags, when combined with proper seatbelt usage, reduced the risk of serious head injury by seventy-five percent (75%) and serious chest injuries by sixty-six percent (66%).
Airbags act as buffers between people and the interior of a vehicle. Driver airbags are mounted in the steering wheel and passenger airbags are mounted in the right front instrument panel. Side airbags, which can be mounted in car doors, seats or roof rails, are smaller than driver and passenger airbags and are designed to protect passengers' heads and chests from car doors.
The federal government required automakers to equip all cars, light trucks and vans with driver and passenger airbags in the 1999 model year. Some automakers also offer side airbags. Yet despite the number of lives saved by airbags, consumers in recent years have become more concerned about the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by airbags. Nearly 150 people have been killed by deploying airbags, according to NHTSA figures. Thousands more have been injured by airbags, which are designed to inflate in crashes that are equivalent to hitting a barrier at 10 to 12 mph.
Passengers who are unbelted or sit too close to the Airbag, less than 10 inches away, pose the greatest risk. Airbags are also dangerous to infants and children in car seats. In January 1998, the federal government began allowing repair shops and dealers to install switches that can arm and disarm airbags.
The risk of airbag injury can be reduced by:
Properly buckling seatbelts
Making sure all seats are at least 10 inches away from the airbag cover
Do not allow children 12 years of age and younger to sit in the front seat. The back seat provides the most protection.
Infants and young children should never ride in a rear facing car seat in front of an air bag.
