Air bags have been arguably one of the most important automotive safety innovations, along with seat belts and crumple zones, but they also pose equally serious risks to children under 12, especially infants and toddlers in car seats. Here's some key facts to remember before buckling in your kids.
1.Air bags inflate at speeds up to 200 mph
That's faster than the blink of an eye and more than the force of a knockout punch. Inflating air bags have been known to hurt even adults that are positioned with their heads too close to the dash. Anytime a child is riding shotgun, they should be buckled up properly, with their seat and body moved as far back from the dash as possible. Better yet, they should be in back.
2.There's no more dangerous place for your infant than in a rear-facing car seat riding shotgun
The vast majority of incidents involving air bags and infants or small children occur when a front passenger air bag deploys and jars a child in a rear-seated car seat. It's like landing that knockout punch right on your baby's head, neck or spine. Serious injury or death is too often the result.
3. No, turning the car seat around isn't safe either
Both rear-facing seats improperly turned around and seats designed to be front-facing can put your child too close to an instantly inflating air bag. Also, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that infants under one year lack the strong neck muscles to withstand a crash if seated facing front. This could cause your child's head to snap forward, leading to serious neck and spinal cord injury.
4. Out of the car seat? Buckled in back is safest
The center middle seat provides the most protection, to be precise, and this goes for any passenger of any age. The back is furthest from the impact and has fewer hard surfaces. For babies, a rear-facing car seat properly seated in the back distributes the impact of the crash across the whole body, helping reduce injury.
5. You can't be smothered by an air bag
Air bags deflate almost as quickly as they inflate, to prevent further injury and avoid trapping the driver or passengers. The stiff fabric wont remain over your child's face. Of course, if you've been paying attention, your children should have been in the back, away from the air bags to begin with.
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