Airbag Safety - Tips For Keeping Your Child Safe

It is widely publicized that passenger-side airbags place children at serious risk of injury in the event of a crash. Reports of numerous child injuries and even deaths have surfaced and caused a great deal of concern over a device that is intended to save lives rather than take them. The good news is that the risk of injury can be reduced by taking the proper precautions.

Many people say that children should never sit in the front seat. They might define children as anyone under the age of 12. But, how can you use age as the determining factor when children can vary widely in size at the age of 12?

What should really determine if a child is able to sit in the front seat is size. If the child is big enough that the seat belt can fit properly, the child is fine to sit in the front seat. Fitting properly means that the lap belt rests on the upper thighs and the shoulder belt goes across the chest. For smaller children the shoulder belt will not be able to go across the chest and the child will often put the shoulder belt under their arm to get the belt out of their face or to be more comfortable. This leaves the child vulnerable to the force of the deploying airbag.

If a child is large enough to wear a seat belt properly, they still might be at risk if they sit too close to the airbag. For the airbag to work as designed, it needs room to deploy. If the child is too close to the airbag, that room will not be there and the child will likely be injured by the deploying airbag. To avoid this risk, always have your child sit back as far as possible from the airbag.

With your child strapped into the seat belt properly and at a safe distance from the airbag, the risk of injury due to a deploying airbag is significantly reduced. Still, other risks exist. Defective airbags can cause injury, as well as the negligent actions of an individual. If your child has been injured as a result of an airbag defect or from the negligent actions of another person, you should determine your legal rights and take action.

To get more information on your personal injury rights in the case of an airbag injury, visit the website of this Chicago personal injury firm.

AIRBAG INJURIES