Air Bag Safety and Children
It's hard to believe that at one time motor vehicles didn't have seat belts. Now they have seat belts, air bags, and other sophisticated computer systems.
The best complement to the seat belt has got to be the air bag. When used properly with lap or shoulder seat belts, air bags protect us from harm.
Follow these simple air bag use tips, for children and adults, to avoid any problems.
Proper Use
- - The rear seat is the safest place for children of any age to ride. An infant in a rear-facing
- child seat must ride in the back seat if your vehicle has a passenger air bag.
- - Make sure that everyone in the front seat is properly buckled up and seated as far back
- from the air bags as is reasonably possible.
- - Make sure that all young children are properly secured in age and size appropriate
- restraints.
- - Know how to properly install your child seat in the vehicle. Read both the owner's manual
- for the vehicle and the instructions for your child safety seat.
Potential Problems
- - In a crash, the air bag inflates very quickly. It could hit anything close to the dashboard with
- enough force to cause severe injuries and, in some cases, fatal injuries.
- - Unbuckled passengers are at risk of being thrown toward the dash during emergency
- braking.
- - Because the back of a rear-facing child seat sits very close to the dashboard, the seat
- could be struck with enough force to cause serious or even fatal injuries to a baby.
- - Even older children (who have outgrown child seats) are at risk from a deploying air bag, if
- they are not properly restrained.
For more information, call National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHSTA) toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Go to the NHSTA website for the complete article and additional safety information.
