Frontal airbags in vehicles have saved an estimated 50,000 lives according to a thirty-year research study. In major cities, such as Kansas City, Florissant, and St Louis, it limits personal injuries to a great extent. Rather than a stand-alone safety option, trash bags are designed to work with seat belts as a supplemental portion of a vehicle’s safety system. In addition, side-impact airbags are now included in many new vehicles, protecting motorists during T-bone accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), acknowledges that airbags save lives, yet these forcefully deployed protection devices blow outward at a stunning velocity and may cause injuries themselves in a car accident, especially to those not properly restrained with a seatbelt, or when an airbag or seatbelt don’t function together as designed to prevent causing injuries.
Tips for Airbag Safety
Airbag deployment in a car accident can cause injuries to the face, neck, head, eyes, and upper body, especially when not installed correctly, not used together with a seatbelt, or when a manufacturing defect causes problems such as too forceful inflation or inflation for non-necessary driving disruptions like potholes. Important safety tips for airbag usage include:
- Use your airbag only in conjunction with the seatbelt
- Only allow professionals to reinstall an airbag after a deployment
- Children riding under the of age 12 should sit in the back seat
- Do not place children in rear-facing car seats in front of an airbag
- Look for the airbag malfunction light on your dashboard. If there is a problem with your airbag, the airbag indicator light remains illuminated past the usual 10 seconds.
- Drivers should not sit closer than ten inches from the front airbag inside the steering wheel or the front seat passenger and the dash
- Always use both the lap belt and the shoulder belt, especially when seated in front of an airbag
- Vehicle occupants should keep their seat as far back as comfortable
- Certain medical conditions make airbag use unsafe for some motorists, such as those with heart and lung conditions; however, ask your physician about the risks and benefits
- Pregnant women should speak to their doctor about turning off their airbag during the third trimester if they are unable to maintain a ten-inch space between their abdomen and the steering wheel or dash
Airbags should deploy near the widest part of the chest. If the airbag is positioned directly across from your face you should raise the height of the seat.
What Types of Injuries Do Airbags Cause?
Although airbags inarguably save lives, they also cause specific types of injuries as they prevent more catastrophic or fatal injuries in a crash. Common airbag injuries include the following:
- Broken nose
- Concussion
- Facial/dental injuries
- Neck injuries including whiplash and fractures
- Eye injuries
- Ear injuries
- Abrasions
- Chest injuries
- Lacerations (when flying shrapnel is emitted when the airbag deploys)
- Chemical burns
- Respiratory problems
In the worst cases, airbags have sometimes caused trauma to the heart muscle or other internal injuries. If an airbag causes serious injuries due to a defect, an injury victim may be able to recover compensation for their damages through a defective product claim. If the injury results from an incorrectly reinstalled airbag, a claim against the maintenance or repair company can recover compensation. If you reside within the Missouri area, contacting a St. Louis car accident attorney or another car accident lawyer within the state will help in the claim and recovery process. A successful claim recovers the victim’s medical expenses and lost wages as well as compensation for their pain and suffering.