Insurance News

Airbag Safety Info

Posted on 02/18/2010 at 02:19 pm by EC Moran Insurance Company
Viewed 2,828 times

Q.  What is the proper use of air bags?
A.  Always buckle your lap/shoulder safety belt. Air bags are designed to work with — not instead of — safety belts.

1. 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.  Unrestrained older children and adults sitting in the front seat can be seriously injured and even killed by a deploying air bag or by hitting the dashboard during a crash.
2. Children under age 12 should be restrained in the back seat. Children under age 1 and weighing 20 pounds or less should be placed in a rear-facing, properly installed, child safety seat. The seat must never be placed in front of a passenger air bag, because an infant's head is too close to the air bag when it deploys.
3. Drivers should sit at least 10 inches from the steering wheel. This allows the air bag to provide maximum protection and minimizes friction from contact with the bag as it unfolds. Maintaining this distance may also minimize head and chest injuries in cars not equipped with air bags.
4. Drivers should position their hands at the 10 and 2 o’clock positions on the steering wheel to provide the greatest protection by allowing the air bag to deploy unobstructed.
5. Drivers should pay close attention to the driving environment, including traffic, road conditions, speed limit and other safety laws. No restraint system can protect against all injuries.

©American College of Emergency Physicians