Airbags Cause Minimal Injury When Riding Appropriately In a Vehicle

If you get into a crash and are not sitting properly in the vehicle when
the airbag goes off, it’s likely you could injure yourself for life.
EMS and Police agree, airbags are a great tool to prevent you from flying
out the front window in the event of a crash. But since these life-saving
devices deploy between 100 and 220 miles per hour, if you aren’t
riding properly in a car, that airbag could send parts of your body into
the front of your face, causing serious injuries.

If you want your airbag to work the right way, that will require everyone
in the vehicle be properly seated and wearing both their lap and shoulder
belts in the correct position, with the best fit. All riders should be
sitting upright with good posture and with both feet placed firmly on
the ground. The driver’s seat should be back as far as comfortably
possible, while still being able to safely access the brake, accelerator,
steering wheel, lights, and other controls. No one should be sitting too
close to the dashboard in the event of an airbag deploying. Drivers should
generally keep their hands at the “10 and 2” positions, gripping
the steering wheel on the upper half.

Front Airbag Systems Are Not Safe For Children

Front airbags are not designed for children or those using car seats or
booster seats in the front seat of a motor vehicle. This is one reason
you should keep your children in the backseat as long as they are younger
than 12 years old. Frontal airbags can be dangerous or even fatal to the
following:

  • Infants or babies in backward-facing child seats.
  • Small children in forward-facing child seats.
  • Older children belted only by the waist-belt, but not the shoulder belt.
  • Any child who is below the weight limit for the front seat and belt without
    a booster seat, which is typically about 12 years old.

Safety experts indicate the safest place for a child in a vehicle is in
the back seat, fastened in a properly-fitted child car seat suited for
the child’s weight. Side or so-called curtain airbags are safe for
children riding in the back.

Is Your Airbag Safe?

Although there have been serious airbag recalls, in general airbags have
been proven to be safer than the alternative. People can make their vehicles’
airbag system as effective as possible by keeping children in the back
seat, always wearing a seat belt the right way, adjusting seats to the
proper position, and checking to make sure their vehicle’s airbag
has not been recalled.

Get the Compensation You Deserve

Were you or a loved one seriously injured by an airbag or a faulty safety
accessory in your vehicle? Our attorneys at Wagner Reese are experienced with
car accidents and
product liability and are positioned to fight for you. If you believe a faulty airbag or
other auto part caused your injury, call us today for a FREE consultation:
(888) 204-8440.

Additional resources:

  • Visit www.safercar.gov
    to check the recall status of your vehicles.
  • Go to https://www.airbagrecall.com
    to check if your vehicle has been affected.