|
![Skip all menus (access key: 2)](/web/20060212011245im_/http://www.tc.gc.ca/images/18px.gif) |
Introduction
Introduction
Air bags are proven and effective safety devices. Between 1990 and 2000
inclusive, air
bags saved about 300 lives in Canada. The number of lives saved increases each year, as
air bags become more common in vehicles on our roads.
However, the number of lives saved is not the whole story. Air bags are particularly
effective in preventing life-threatening and debilitating head and chest injuries. A study
of real-world crashes conducted by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) found that the combination of seat belts and air bags is 75% effective in
preventing serious head injuries and 66% effective in preventing serious chest injuries.
That means 75 of every 100 people who would have suffered a serious head injury in a
crash, and 66 out of 100 people who would have suffered chest injuries, were spared that
fate because they wore seat belts and their vehicle had air bags.
For some people, these life saving and injury-preventing benefits come at the cost of a
less severe injury caused by the air bag itself. Most air bag injuries are minor cuts,
bruises, or abrasions and are far less serious than the skull fractures and brain injuries
that air bags prevent. However, eight people have been killed by air bags up until
June 1, 2001. These deaths are tragic, but rare events. In Canada in 1999, for instance, there
were 153,720 collisions which resulted in 222,275 injuries and 2,969 deaths.
The one fact that is common to all who died as a result of the
air bag is NOT their height, weight, sex, or age. Rather, it is the fact that they
were too close to the air bag when it started to deploy.
|
The vast majority of people can avoid being too close to an air bag and can minimize
the risk of serious air bag injury by making simple changes in behaviour. Shorter drivers
can adjust their driving position. Front-seat adult passengers can sit a safe distance
from their air bag. Infants and children age 12 and under should sit in the back seat. And
everyone must buckle up. All provinces and territories have legislation that
require all occupants of a vehicle to wear seat belts and children to be positioned in
appropriate child seats. The limited number of people who cannot make these changes may
benefit from having the opportunity to turn off their air bags when necessary.
Consumers can choose to have the air bags in their vehicle deactivated if they are, or
a user of their vehicle is, in a risk group. In most cases, air bags will be
deactivated through the use of an on-off switch installed by your dealer or other service
technician. In some cases, other forms of deactivation will be provided.
The following information provides the facts you need to know about air bags so you can
make an informed decision.
Top
Who should consider deactivating
their air bags?
- People who have no option but to transport infants riding
in rear-facing infant seats in the front passenger seat.
- People who have no option but to transport children age
12 and under in the front passenger seat.
- Drivers who cannot change their customary driving
position and keep 25 cm1 between the center of the steering wheel, where the
driver-side air bag is located, and the center of their sternum (breastbone).
- 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.
Generally, if you do not meet at least one of these criteria, nor does any user
or occupant of your vehicle, then there is no reason for you to even consider the
installation of an on-off switch. Turning off your air bag will not benefit you nor the
other users of your vehicle. Instead, it will increase the risk that you and the other
users will suffer a head, neck or chest injury by violently striking the steering wheel or
dashboard in a moderate to severe crash.
Top
What is an on-off switch?
An on-off switch allows an air bag to be turned on and off. The on-off switch can be
installed for the driver, passenger, or both. To limit misuse, a key must be used to
operate the on-off switch. When the air bag is turned off, a light comes on. There is a
message on or near the light saying "DRIVER AIR BAG OFF" or "PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF."
The air bag will remain off until the key is used to turn it back on.
Top
What steps can you take to reduce
air bag risk without installing an on-off switch?
- Always place an infant in a rear-facing infant seat in the back seat.
- Always transport children 12 years old and under in the back seat
and use appropriate and properly installed child restraints.
- Always buckle your seat belt. The law requires it all across Canada.
- Keep 25 cm between the center of the air bag cover and the center of
your sternum.
|
The vast majority of people don't need an on-off switch. Almost
everyone age 13 and over is much safer with air bags than without them. This includes
short people, tall people, older people and pregnant women - in fact, all people, male or
female, who buckle their seat belts and who can sit far enough back from their air bag.
Ideally, you should sit with 25 cm between the center of the air bag cover and the center
of your sternum. The nearer you can come to achieving the 25-cm distance, the lower your
risk of being injured by the air bag and the greater your chance of being saved by the air
bag. If you can get back almost 25 cm, the air bag will still help you in a crash.
Top
1 Note that here, and everywhere else where the
25-cm distance is mentioned, the thickness of heavy coats and of other bulky clothing
should not be included in the measurement.
|