Airbag Safety - Alternatives Compared

Airbags cause far more injuries than deaths. 

And of the deaths caused so far, only those investigated by NHTSA are officially tracked. So far, NHTSA has not acknowledged what every emergency room physician and nurse sees regularly:  that airbags often cause severe and disabling injuries. Today we have been told that airbags are safe, and yet, the car manufacturers have been given until 2012 to come up with "safe" airbags. In the meantime, protecting yourself and your loved ones is your responsibility. 

Changing your driving habits to take the airbag into account is one thing that is essential for everyone who has to drive or ride in front of an airbag. 

When most people over 30 learned to drive (before 1990), there were no airbags. We were taught to hold the steering wheel at the two and ten o'clock positions. When turning, we were taught to bring one hand across the chest as part of the turning movement. Many people also got into the habit of driving with one hand at the top of the steering wheel; forearm resting on the horn cover.  If an accident is impending, we were taught to sound the horn. All of these standard driving methods can lead to severe and disabling injuries to the hands, arms, head and neck if the airbag in the wheel detonates with these body parts nearby. 

Front passengers need to remember not to reach for the dash for bracing if an accident is about to happen. Also, sitting in any position other than straight upright can be extremely dangerous and in some cases has been fatal because of the force of the passenger side airbag. turning sideways can break the neck or spine. This is even worse when the passenger is not wearing a seatbelt with pre-tensioners because the passengers arrive very close to the dash just as the airbag detonates. They are impacted by an airbag deploying at around 200 mph with 1200 lbs of force.

As you can imagine, those in the endangered category are at greatest risk, but others are also liable to be injured. This is not to say that airbags haven't saved lives in high speed accidents. But in low speed accidents or even when the car hits a curb or a deer, for instance, the only injury is often from the Air Bag. 

Click here to see an explanation of all the recommended driving techniques:  

Who are these endangered people ?  

• Drivers who can't keep 10 inches back from  the air bag cover. this usually means shorter people, pregnant or heavier people.
  

• Those who have medical conditions like Osteoporosis, or other medical conditions where being hit by an exploding airbag will be more dangerous and life threatening than the likely results of any accident. 

Driving close to the wheel can be extremely
 dangerous; especially with Osteoporosis

• Children and infants who ride in the passenger seat facing an airbag. Children should always be in back, away from the airbag. But some cars, trucks and vans, have no back seat, and sometimes, as with vanpools, a child needs to use the front seat.

What are the alternatives?

 1. Driver's Side Air Bag On/Off switch

A driver side airbag on/off switch allows the driver to shut off the airbag when driving in a low speed zone, such as the neighborhood, downtown traffic, parks or parking lots, avoiding the risk of unnecessary injury from deployment during low speed accidents. When driving at high speed, as on the highway, the driver has the choice of turning the airbag on. The driver's side air bag on/off switch allows more than one driver to drive the same car safely. All switches that meet NHTSA requirements have to allow the car's airbag warning light on the instrument panel to function normally.

Every American is entitled to disconnect his own car's air bag. But to safely accomplish this it is important to have instructions from a knowledgeable and qualified source.  Written instructions are also available for those who can disconnect airbags with written technical instructions that recommend the necessary precautions. Disconnecting an airbag will set off the warning light in your car's dashboard instrument panel. This is not a problem on most American made cars since the dash light will go out by reconnecting the airbag prior to inspection or sale of the car. Some foreign models, though, require an appropriate scan tool to reset the car's internal computer once the connection is remade.

4. Pedal Extenders

Pedal extenders allow some short statured persons to keep 10 inches back from the airbag cover on the steering wheel. Others can't reach the pedals or see the road if they are back 10 inches. Pedal extenders can improve driver comfort and control, but they also can make it difficult for others to drive the car.

pedal extenders  (adjustable length and angle)

These pedal extenders are adjustable from 2" to 4" and are available through our Driving Comfort and Safety Store.

            For more information on pedal extenders visit our services webpage

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