Air Bag Dangers

Air bags are required safety equipment in all cars. Their purpose is to reduce the impact of a crash, keeping vehicle occupants safe and preventing injuries. However, despite their intention, air bags also pose some safety hazards, especially for young children.

The most important safety precaution against air bag injuries is to ensure that passengers are properly restrained and situated in a proper seating position. In the event of a crash, passengers who are wearing seatbelts and sitting properly are much less likely to suffer serious injuries and are much more likely to be protected by air bags rather than injured.

Most air bag injuries occur to passengers who are not seated and secured properly. This passenger may be propelled forward in the event of a crash and is likely to be on top of the air bag as it inflates, leading to critical injuries and suffocation. Other air bag injuries can occur to young children sitting in the front seat. The children are too small to be properly protected by the air bag, which can instead suffocate or crush them. Children under the age of 13 should sit in the back seat.

If a child must sit in the front seat, make sure the child is properly restrained, move the seat as far back as possible, and have the child sit properly with his or her back against the seat. Newer vehicles have advanced air bags with the option to turn the passenger air bag on and off. When children or small adults sit in the front seat, turn the air bag off.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash, contact the Kenosha car accident lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C., at 800-242-2874 to discuss your situation and your legal options.