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Airbags: More Than Just Hot Air

Airbags are designed to help prevent occupants from hitting their heads on the dash, steering wheel or windows during front or side impacts. Today in the U.S. over 107 million vehicles are equipped with airbags and over 3.3 million airbags have deployed since the 1980s, saving an estimated 4,126 lives. However, if an occupant is too close to an inflating airbag, he or she can be seriously injured or even killed. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there have been 170 deaths (63 drivers, 7 adult passengers, 82 children between the ages of 1 and 11 and 18 infants) caused by inflating airbags.

The majority of airbags today are set to deploy at impact speeds of 12 mph. Sensors located in the front bumper or along the sides of a vehicle detect that an accident has occurred within milliseconds of impact. These sensors send a signal to the airbags to begin inflating. A small explosive device called a squib ignites sodium azide which burns quickly and produces nitrogen gas, inflating the bag at speeds of up to 200 mph. As the gas quickly cools the bag deflates.

Serious injuries and death from airbags are usually the result of an individual’s proximity to the bag as it begins to inflate. Those at greatest risk of being injured or killed include infants in rear-facing child safety seats placed in the front passenger seat, children and adults not wearing or incorrectly using seat belts and those sitting too close to the bag as it begins to inflate.

To reduce the risk of injury or death, drivers and passengers should sit at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel or dash. If drivers cannot get 10 inches away from the steering wheel, pedal extenders or on-off switches can be installed. However, before a mechanic can install this type of switch, the vehicle owner must fill out a form and obtain permission from NHTSA. Approval for the switches will only be granted if one of the following conditions apply:

• an individual has a medical condition where the risk of an inflating airbag exceeds the risk of the impact without an airbag;
  
• a driver is short-statured and cannot get 10 or more inches away from the airbag;
  
• a child who sits in a rear-facing child safety seat has a medical condition which must be monitored (causing the child to be seated in the front of the vehicle); and
  
• in instances where there is no back seat or where the number of children 12 years old and younger exceeds the number of back seats available.

The way a driver holds a steering wheel can also reduce the chance of injury caused by a deployed airbag. The steering wheel should always be held along the sides – at 10 o’clock and 4 o’clock. Drivers should avoid crossing their arms over the airbag when turning and remember to keep their arms and hands away from the airbag cover at all times. To increase the distance between yourself and the airbag, the steering wheel should be tilted down towards your chest and the seat should be tilted slightly back.

Children 12 years of age and under should always be seated in the rear seat of a vehicle, properly belted or restrained in a child safety seat. If a child must be placed in the front seat of an airbag-equipped vehicle, parents should move the seat back as far as possible, tilt the seat slightly backwards and secure the child properly with a seat belt or in a child safety seat.

And of course the risk of injuries or death can be reduced significantly when a seat belt is used. For the best results seat belts should be worn under the abdomen and low across the hips. The shoulder belt portion should be positioned over the collar bone and away from the neck.

Since 1998 most airbags have been set to deploy with less force. Future airbag safety features will include two-stage inflators, which will be able to detect the severity of an impact and deploy with less force in lower-severity accidents and with more force in high-impact accidents. In addition, sensors able to detect how close a person is sitting to an airbag, then make adjustments to how and when the airbag deploys, as well as pretensioners on seat belts to keep individuals from leaning forward and coming into close contact with the airbag are being considered.

Along with front and side airbags some companies have begun to install roof and window airbags to keep passengers safe during roll-overs. These airbags use a cooler gas to stay inflated for an extra six seconds after a rollover occurs, which experts estimate is the time it takes for a vehicle to roll three times.

If you’ve been in an accident and suffered injuries from an inflating airbag, or if a passenger in your vehicle has been injured or killed by an airbag, take care to preserve the vehicle and airbag after the accident. Take photos of all injuries and the car and then contact an experienced personal injury attorney.