DC's Car Seat Safety Tip # 6.....Air Bag Information

[dallaschildren]

As of January 19, 1998, consumers can CHOOSE to have an on/off switch (allows for the air bag to be turned on or off) installed for the air bags in their vehicle (s). The following groups are considered HIGH RISK and if you find yourself identifying with any of the scenarios below, you are likely a candidate for the air bag on/off switch.

1. People who MUST transport infants in rear-facing infant seats in the front passenger seat.

2. People who MUST transport children ages 12 and under in the front passenger seat.

3. Drivers who cannot change their customary driving position and keep 10" between the center of the steering wheel and the center of their breastbone.

4. People whose doctors say, that due to their medical condition, the air bag poses a special risk that outweighs the risk of hitting their head, neck, or chest in a crash if the air bag is turned off.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO NOT NEED AN ON/OFF SWITCH.

Individuals who wish to have the on/off switch installed in their vehicle, must read an informational brochure: "Air bags & On/Off Switches: Information for an informed decision" and complete and send request form to NHTSA.
You will then have to wait for permission from NHTSA before proceeding. Please keep in mind that many dealers will REFUSE to install on/off switches even though NHTSA has granted authorization. This is their right. It has to do with liability protection on the part of the vehicle manufacturer.

The brochure and separate request form is available from the auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT or www.NHTSA.dot.gov.


CPS tech and mom to 2 sons in seats
"Making a difference one car seat at a time"

(DISCLAIMER: The information above is for United States citizens. If you live in another country, please refer to your local transportation safety department for rules applicable to your area. Thank you.)

edited to add disclaimer

[cinnamonamon]

Wow, I know air bags are great, but I really hope it doesn't become this difficult to go without one! My last pregnancy I was stuck with a vehicle with no tilt, and by the end the steering wheel brushed my tummy everytime I turned a corner -- I'm only 5 ft 1 (in my shoes). I was scared to death of getting in an accident. And given the size of my extended family, I refuse to have a car with a passenger side air bag unless it has an on/off switch. With all the young children in my family it would be ridiculous -- even though we only see them once in a while.

[Dar]

Sort of on this subject... everything I've read says that children 12 and under shouldn't ride in seats with airbags. My 11 year old is the height of an average adult woman (5'4", maybe 125 pounds). We'll be getting a vehicl with a passenger airbag next month, and it makes no sense to me that she would be sitting in the back, while her 14 and 15 year old, 5-foot-even friends would be in the front. Logistically, it's easier with her in the front (she navigates) and I just feel like a chauffeur otherwise. What's the official reasoning?

dar

[dallaschildren]

Originally Posted by Dar

Sort of on this subject... everything I've read says that children 12 and under shouldn't ride in seats with airbags. My 11 year old is the height of an average adult woman (5'4", maybe 125 pounds). We'll be getting a vehicl with a passenger airbag next month, and it makes no sense to me that she would be sitting in the back, while her 14 and 15 year old, 5-foot-even friends would be in the front. Logistically, it's easier with her in the front (she navigates) and I just feel like a chauffeur otherwise. What's the official reasoning?

dar

Hi Dar,

The official reasoning behind the 12 and under rule is physical (bone etc.) development and maturity. Size does come into play, but as we all know, our kids are all so different in size, it is difficult to pinpoint. In addition, NHTSA crash tests with a 12 year old dummy (don't have the exact height and weight of said dummy in front of me right now). Also, I had posted in one of the 6 car seat safety tips on this board, the differences in air bag generation. Here is the short of it, however I urge you to look back at those threads for more details. First generation air bags deployed at the same speed (200 mph or over) and hurt and killed quite a few people. Technological advances brought us second generation bags which deployed at about half of the original rate of speed. But that obviously still was not safe enough....today's airbags detect your seating position at the time of impact (like if you were bending over to pick up something you dropped) and adjusts the speed of deployment accordingly. There are sensors in each seat that enable it to do this. Also with the newest generation of bags, the sensors will tell it whether the seat is even occupied so a bag will not deploy at all if it's not.
Now, how does this info. tie into your question?...well depending on the make and year of your vehicle, will determine what generation bag you have....so if your 12 year old were to be in the front passenger seat with a first or second generation bag, it could spell trouble. Is this clear as mud? Hope it helped.

DC

[Kundalini-Mama]

You've got to be kidding me. I have wanted my freakin' airbag turned off for some time. I am 5'1" and now pregnant. I sit right on the freakin' steering wheel. If I get in an accident, I will be decapitated, or my chest will probably collapse, or both.

I am going to go to that website right now.

Thanks Dallaschildren
Amy

[eilonwy]

Originally Posted by AmyD

You've got to be kidding me. I have wanted my freakin' airbag turned off for some time. I am 5'1" and now pregnant. I sit right on the freakin' steering wheel. If I get in an accident, I will be decapitated, or my chest will probably collapse, or both.

I am going to go to that website right now.

Thanks Dallaschildren
Amy

I am also barely 5'1" (in Skechers!) and I was in a high-speed collision while I was pregnant with my daughter. The seat was all the way forward, because the car had a manual transmission and I couldn't depress the clutch if it wasn't. The airbag deployed, but because I was wearing my seatbelt it only hit my breasts.

A good friend of mine sells cars for a living (Saturns) and I asked her why it is that they say 12, because I am not quite as tall as the average 12 year old child-- did I need to have the airbag disabled? She said that it was a height and weight requirement, and that as long as I had 12" between my sternum and the steering wheel, I was all right. I couldn't make that happen with the seat up high, so I dropped it down a bit. Even then, it didn't quite work-- I barely had 9" of clearance. All I did was make sure that my seatbelt was always adjusted properly and sat snugly where it was supposed to. I needed one of those belt-adjuster thingies they sell for kids to make this happen, but I'm glad I went to the trouble.

[dallaschildren]

Originally Posted by AmyD

You've got to be kidding me. I have wanted my freakin' airbag turned off for some time. I am 5'1" and now pregnant. I sit right on the freakin' steering wheel. If I get in an accident, I will be decapitated, or my chest will probably collapse, or both.

I am going to go to that website right now.

Thanks Dallaschildren
Amy

You are very welcome!