All occupants should be properly restrained with either a seat belt or the proper child safety restraint, whether or not a vehicle has air bags - and regardless of the type of air bag system in use.
Serious or even fatal air bag-related injuries can occur if occupants are not properly restrained and in a proper seating position.
Unrestrained or improperly restrained occupants will move forward during the hard braking before a frontal crash. In addition to striking the interior of the vehicle - and potentially other passengers - unrestrained front seat occupants are very likely to be on top of the air bag as it begins to inflate.
For properly restrained occupants, most injuries that result from being in close proximity to a deploying air bag are minor bruises or abrasions, which are far less serious than the head trauma and other major injuries that air bags can prevent.
