Air Bags can be a Blessing or a Curse

From 3arf

AIR BAGS HAVE KILLED CHILDREN.

Now that I've got your attention, I'll explain why the dangers of not using air bags far outweigh the dangers of using them.

When air bags came out years ago, they literally exploded out of the dash and steering wheel. Today, they can be turned off on the passenger side or reduced in power. Some systems allow the owner to do this. Make sure the air bags can be disabled or reduced in strength.

There are some cars that have air bags all around. One day I was at a shopping center and a car flipped over onto its top. I've seen similar roll-over accidents on TV. Thanks to the air bags that surrounded the driver, she ended up with a bruised forehead. These types of air bags saved her from physical damage.

For babies, always use a car seat that surrounds the child so that when the air bags deploy, they can't touch the baby. The seat must be secured onto the seat with the belts. The air bags will scare them. But an unsecured car seat could cause bruising. Also, face the baby backwards toward the seat. If the car has to stop short and the bag isn't needed, the baby will be pushed back into the seat if it is facing backwards.

For toddlers in a toddler's seat, it is best if they are secured in the back seat by the belts. They might whine about wanting to be up front. But it's for their own safety. Since there are often no air bags in the back, there will be no danger of one being deployed that might injure the child.

If air bags are deployed all around, make sure they are either adjusted to exert only as much pressure as the child can withstand or the car seat with the child in it just makes contact with it. The owner's manual should show how far out the bags will expand so that the child can be outside the "air bag deployment danger zone."

For children that don't need car seats, the air bags may still have to be adjusted according to their weight. Some cars have sensors built into the seats to determine the weight of the passenger to automatically adjust the strength of the air bags. As long as the child is strapped in and sits back, when the air bags deploy, he shouldn't be hurt.

If you have a used car that has air bags, make sure they are original equipment. Too many people are removing air bag systems from cars and installing them into the wrong cars. Air bags for small cars are adjusted for the distance to the seats. If the air bags for a large Cadillac are installed into a small car, they could slam into a child and injure them.

Air bags use an explosive charge to inflate them. If you suspect someone may have tampered with the bags in your car, check it out with a reputable mechanic. To force him to be even more responsible for your safety, have him give you a guarantee in writing that the air bag system is properly installed and in good working order. Once you have had him sign the guarantee, you will know who to blame if something goes wrong.

There have been reports of air bags either not being deployed in a head-on collision or deploying accidentally. As long as the child is out of the deployment danger zone, he will be fine. Air bags don't deploy in rear-end collisions. So the child must always remain secured into the seat. The faster you travel, the heavier the child will seem to be in a collision. That's why mothers mustn't hold babies on their laps when they are sitting up front. A baby will seem as heavy as a bag of cement if the car stops short. Also, an air bag will injure the one a woman is holding since the air bag is set to protect someone who is a certain distance away from the dash.

Air bags can be a blessing or a curse. If the child remains no closer than the deployment danger zone, he will be safe from injury. Parents don't need to fear air bags as long as they keep their children where it is safe to sit and remain there.

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