Did you know that airbags save over 1,500 lives per year? Amazing isn't it. For adults, airbags can seriously reduce the chance of injury in a crash that's a good thing. What's not so good is that the force of an airbag when it's deployed can severely injure small children.
Why? Well, here's the reason: airbags inflate at speeds up to 200 mph - faster than the blink of the eye. They're designed to explode out of the dashboard and side panels of the car to protect the driver and front seat passenger from hitting hard surfaces like the dashboard or windshield during a collision. Now imagine that same explosive force hitting a child in the front seat of a car as they are jolted forward. Thats dangerous.
That's why the SAFEST PLACE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 12, TODDLERS AND BABIES (INCLUDING NEWBORNS) IS IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.
How can your family reduce the risks associated with airbags? Read on!
THE AIRBAG SAFETY CHECK LIST
- Children 12 and under (including newborns and toddlers) should ride buckled up in a rear seat. Parents should use child safety seats, booster seats or safety belts appropriate for their age and size.
- Infants must ride in the rear-facing child seats securely fastened in the back seat of the car. Parents may be tempted to put babies in the front seat of the car don't do it. The place for children is, and always has been, in the back seat.
- Make sure everyone buckles up with both lap and shoulder belts on every trip. Move the driver and front passenger seat as far back from the dashboardas practical.
- Parents with infants that require constant attention should have another adult ride with them. Why? Because it's easy to get distracted.
- Airbags only inflate in front end crashes and collapse immediately to prevent suffocation. But airbags or not - always wear your safety belt.
THE FIVE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT AIRBAGS.
- Why are airbags dangerous to children, newborns and toddlers?
Airbags are designed to inflate in the blink of an eye - that takes an incredible amount of force. That same force can severely hurt or kill passengers and drivers who are too close to the dashboard. It's always best to buckle all children under 12 in the back seat.
- How come airbags work for adults but not for children?
An average size adult who is wearing their seat belt correctly is not likely to come in contact with the airbag until it's completely inflated. Unbelted or improperly belted children can easily fly off the seat when a driver slams the brakes to avoid a crash. That throws them to the dashboard where the force of the airbag inflating can cause serious injury or death.
- Why are children safer in the back seat?
There are more head-on crashes than any other type. In the back seat, children are farthest away from the impact and from the risk associated with an inflating airbag.
- Isn't it less safe to have a baby in the back seat where the parent can't see them?
No. The risk of having a serious crash is far more likely than the baby having a life threatening problem in the back seat. It's best to think of it as if you are putting the baby down for a nap. This way drivers can concentrate on the road.
- Are short adults at risk with airbags just like children?
In general, no. As long as adults are correctly belted and at least 10 inches from the steering wheel the airbag will be fully inflated before they hit it.
