Air Bags: Pull the Switch?
For: Wellness Facts, March 2003
Air bags have saved an estimated 2,700 lives in the U.S. since 1987, more than 800 in 1997 alone. But as everybody knows by now, air bags can also kill: at least 87 people, 49 of them children, have died from the forceful deployment of the bags. These numbers—of lives saved and lives lost—will keep growing, as more and more cars on the road have air bags (only 38% do now). The uproar over the new-found risks posed by air bags has been extraordinary. As a result, the government reluctantly announced in November that it would allow certain car owners to switch off their air bags. Under the best circumstances, the cutoff switches may save a dozen lives a year. But if a large number of drivers pull the switch, hundreds could die each year in crashes where air bags could have saved them. Few people should take this option.
It will be disastrous if the cutoff switch leads parents to believe that it's safe for kids to sit in the front seat once the air bag is off.
Getting the switch
The government isn't making it easy to get the cutoff switch. You must apply for permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and must certify that you or your children fall into one of these high-risk categories:
• You must sit so that your breastbone is closer than 10 inches from the center of the steering wheel (which houses the air bag) in order for your feet to reach the brake and accelerator.• You must put a child in the front seat because you have a large family or are part of a carpool.
• Your car has no rear seat, so you have to put a child seat in the front seat.
• Your child has a medical problem that requires close monitoring, so that he/she needs to sit up front.
• Someone in your family has a medical condition that prevents the person from sitting back a safe distance from the air bag. Last year a group of physicians concluded that no medical conditions, except those affecting stature, merit air-bag disconnection. Pregnant women, in particular, should not be denied the protection provided by air bags.
You can get the application by calling the NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline at 800-424-9393, or from the American Automobile Association, state motor vehicle offices, car dealerships, or some mechanic shops. The application comes with a 10-inch ruler to help drivers determine if they can sit a safe distance from the wheel. The NHTSA will also send you a brochure explaining how air bags work and how you can reduce your risk of being hurt by one.
You can request switches installed on the driver or passenger side or both. If you're approved, you go to your car dealer or an authorized mechanic for the installation. The switch is activated by a key, and a warning light goes on when the air bag is turned off. It will cost about $150. People who lie on the application could be prosecuted for perjury.
Protect yourself
Many air-bag-related deaths and injuries could have been avoided. Take the following steps:
• Always wear a seat belt. Most adults killed by air bags were not wearing seat belts or not using them properly—thus they were thrown forward into the deploying air bag. In some cases, the victims were simply sitting too close to the bag when it deployed.• Put children in the back seat. Two-thirds of the children killed by air bags were too young to be riding in the front seat, were improperly restrained, or were not restrained at all. Kids under 13 should ride in the back seat, in proper safety seats or restraints, until they are 4'11" tall and able to put their feet on the car floor.
• When driving, sit at least 10 inches away from the steering wheel (the deployment distance of an air bag). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that two out of three short people (5 feet or shorter) can sit at least 10 inches from the steering wheel. But the larger the car, the more likely it is that a short person has to sit closer than that to the wheel. In many cars, short people may be able to sit farther back if they tilt the steering wheel down and raise the seat (if there's a seat control) or sit on a pad or cushion.
• If you have a passenger-side air bag, the front-seat passenger should push the seat back as far as possible and sit no closer to the dashboard than 30 inches. Never prop your feet on the dashboard; don't hold items on your lap or in front of your face.
Good news: Car makers are now equipping new cars with air bags that inflate with 30% less force, thus reducing the risk of an injury. And they are working on "smart" air bags that would turn themselves off or adjust their force depending on the size of the seat's occupant and whether the seat belt is buckled. These may be available in three years.
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, February 1998