Baby Timber

When it comes to the safety of drivers and passengers during car accidents, there has been a great focus on seat belt use, which can very often mean the difference between life and death. The message is easy to spread because it is simple: wear a seat belt every time. But nearly as important, but accompanied with more confusion, is airbag safety. Airbags are designed to save lives, but when used incorrectly they can be harmful or even deadly.

With different types of airbags and different child-placement guidelines, it can be confusing for caregivers and parents to know exactly where and how to place their children in their car, truck, SUV, or mini-van. Many are not even aware of which type of airbag their vehicle has, but simply hope that they do their job if or when a car accident occurs.

Airbags aren't as complicated as they seem. It doesn't take long for a driver to learn the do's and do not's of airbag use. Spending a few minutes studying and absorbing the following airbag information could save your life or the life of one of your passengers.

• Accidents happen quickly, so airbags have to deploy even faster.
When a car is struck with moderate or serious impact, an airbag inflates within 1/20 of a second. This causes a great amount of immediate force, which is greater the closer you are to the airbag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises ALL passengers to sit with their breastbone no closer than 10 inches from the airbag.
• Adults sitting more than 10 inches away in an upright posture and wearing seat belts should not be harmed by an airbag.
However, even with that distance, any child under the age of 12 is at severe risk when sitting in the front seat where the airbag is. This still applies to infants in rear-facing car seats, toddlers in booster seats, and children old enough to sit in the regular seat. Children under 12 should never right in front unless it is absolutely necessary.
• However, vehicles such as pickup trucks may not have room in the back for a child, forcing the driver to place the child in front.
These vehicles should have an optional "on/off" switch for the passenger side airbag. This may also happen if an adult is transporting more children than there are room for in the back. Riding in back is safest, but riding in front with NO airbag is next safest.
• Even so, not all vehicles have the on/off option, and there may be instances that require a child to ride in a front seat with airbags.
If it is absolutely necessary to do so, the NHTSA recommends sliding the seat as far back away from the airbag as possible and choosing the child who is most likely to stay seated in a safe sitting position. However, this situation is to be avoided whenever possible.
• Many newer vehicles are equipped with what are known as advanced frontal airbags.
This means that automatic sensors gauge passenger size, seat position, and crash severity to determine the best inflation power for that airbag. Some advanced frontal airbags will not deploy if they detect a smaller occupant in the seat, but this is NOT a go-ahead to put children in the front seat unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

Even when following these guidelines, airbags do pose a risk of serious injury or even death. For the few who are harmed rather than protected by an airbag, the result can be tragic. Victims of airbag injury or families who have lost someone to an airbag death may want to seek the advice of a West Palm Beach Car Accident Lawyer.

But on the whole, airbags save far more lives than they endanger. Thousands of drivers and passengers are saved from severe trauma and death by ever-increasing airbag technology. The more familiar you are with airbag safety, the more the airbags in your vehicle can do their job: protecting the lives and safety of yourself and your passengers.

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Casey D. Shomo, P.A. is a law firm in West Palm Beach, Florida and they handle cases meant for an experienced West Palm Beach Car Accident Attorney along with many other personal injury cases.