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Air bag safety
INJURY PREVENTION
Air Bag Safety
Author: Thelma Kuska, RN, BSN, CEN, Palos Heights, Ill Section Editor: Janet Lassman, RN, BS
Thelma Kuska, Illinois ENA, is Regional Program Manager, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Region 5, Olympia Fields, Ill; E-mail: [email protected]. Reprints not available from the author. J Emerg Nurs 2003;29:153-6. Copyright © 2003 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 0099-1767/2003 $30.00 + 0 doi:10.1067/men.2003.60
April 2003 29:2
W
hen a collision occurs, the motor vehicle decelerates rapidly and its structure absorbs the majority of the crash forces. Unrestrained vehicle occupants continue to move forward at the original speed of the vehicle until they make contact with the vehicle’s interior. Injuries occur as a result of the violent forces that happen in this “second collision.” Because they are secured to the vehicle by safety belts, restrained occupants come to a more gradual stop, significantly reducing the chance of injury.1,2 Safety belts remain the single most effective means to prevent death and injuries from motorvehicle crashes. Air bags also reduce injuries because they are designed to inflate fully before occupants first hit them. As the occupant’s body moves into it, the bag deflates, slowing the occupant gradually while crash forces are distributed uniformly over the occupant’s body. Air bags are designed to limit head and chest injuries. They provide supplemental protection to seat-belt wearers in severe crashes and substantial protection to those who choose not to wear their safety belts.3 Air bags are not soft, billowy pillows. They inflate in less than 1/25th of a second—faster than the blink of an eye—at rates up to 200 miles an hour.3 To deploy, air bags must burst through protective covers and expand in a very short time. If the air bag is fully or almost fully inflated before an occupant moves into it, the air bag will cushion the vehicle occupant. However, if the occupant is too close to the inflating air bag, the force of inflation can be deadly. Children in rear-facing infant seats installed in front of an air bag, children younger than 13 years, unrestrained
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FIGURE 1
Seating position diagrams. (Illustration courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
FIGURE 2
Seat-mounted side-impact air bag. (Photo courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
FIGURE 3
Seat-mounted side-impact air bag. (Photo courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.)
children, out-of-position children, and short-statured adults sitting close to the air bag are at great risk. Even properly restrained drivers who are sitting too close to the steering wheel are at risk of sustaining injuries from a deploying air bag.
Second-generation air bags
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JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING
Many newer vehicles have safer air bags that provide improved frontal crash protection, particularly for shortstatured adults and young children. These improvements include reduced inflation power and crash sensors that are
29:2 April 2003
INJURY PREVENTION/Kuska
FIGURE 5
Window curtain side air bag. (Photo courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.) FIGURE 4
Tubular side impact air bag. (Photo courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
able to differentiate crash forces and adjust inflation depending on the occupant’s seat location, restraint use, or whether the seat is occupied. Some vehicles also have adjustable foot pedals to enable short-statured drivers to sit farther from the steering wheel and still reach the pedals. Safety-belt systems also have been improved to include seat belt pretensioners, designed to remove the slack in the seat belt in a crash, which keeps the occupant away from the deploying air bag, and “load limiters” that reduce the possibility of rib fractures caused by the seat belts.
The possibility of a serious air bag inflation injury exists if there is less than 10 inches between the belted driver and the steering wheel.
to maximize the distance between the air bag module and the center of the chest and to keep the air bag from deploying toward their face. Hands on the steering wheel should be at either the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions or 8 o’clock and 4 o’clock positions. Drivers should avoid placing their hands on top of the steering wheel, which places both hands and arms directly in the path of a deploying air bag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that drivers maintain at least 10 inches between the steering wheel hub and the driver’s breastbone. The possibility of a serious air bag inflation injury exists if there is less than 10 inches between the belted driver and the steering wheel. The force is greatest in the first 2 to 3 inches after the air bag bursts through its cover and begins to inflate. Those 2 to 3 inches are the “risk zone.” The force decreases as the air bag further inflates.4 To avoid inflation injuries, front-seat passengers must keep their feet off the dashboard and avoid leaning or reaching forward while the car is in motion.
Air bag safety tips
Side-impact air bags
All front-seat occupants must be correctly positioned and properly restrained to increase the benefits of a deploying air bag. They must sit upright against the vehicle seat back with the seat adjusted as far to the rear as possible, which will ensure that they are as far away from the air bag module as possible. Drivers should tilt the steering wheel down
Side-impact air bags can provide significant supplemental safety benefits to adults during side-impact crashes. They are designed to prevent head and thoracic injuries and help keep the head and upper body inside the vehicle.4,5 Sideimpact air bags may be located in the outboard edge of the seat back, in the door, in the pillars in front of or behind the
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INJURY PREVENTION/Kuska
front doors, in the roof rail above the doors, and, for knee air bags, under the dashboard. Side air bags are most often found in the front seating positions, but a few vehicles have rear-seat side air bags. Most deploy in side-impact crashes, but some are designed to deploy in rollover crashes. Sideimpact air bags come in many forms, from inflatable tubular structures to small pillows to inflatable curtains.1 Side air bags are smaller and use less propellant than front air bags, but they deploy very rapidly. Vehicle passengers should not lean or rest against the door or side of the car that contains a side air bag. Enough distance must be maintained between the occupant and the side air bag module to get the maximum benefit from the side air bag. Because there is potential for causing injuries to children, vehicle manufacturers are requested to deactivate rear-seat side air bags, activating them only upon consumer request.
Vehicle passengers should not lean or rest against the door or side of the car that contains a side air bag. Enough distance must be maintained between the occupant and the side air bag module to get the maximum benefit.
REFERENCES 1. Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety. What you need to know about air bags. Arlington (VA): The Coalition; May 2002. 2. Martinez R. Statement before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding the effectiveness of air bags, January 9, 1997. 3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Advanced air bag technology assessment: a report. Washington (DC): The Administration; April 1998. 4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Air bags and on-off switches: information for an informed decision (DOT HS 808 629). Washington (DC): The Administration. 5. National Safety Council. Five years of air bag safety in America. Washington (DC): The Council; 2001. Contributions for this column are welcomed and encouraged. Submissions should be sent to: Janet Lassman, RN, BS EN CARE, Director, Volunteer Services, 205 S Whiting St, Suite 403, Alexandria, VA 22304 703 370-4050 • [email protected]
On-off switch
An on-off switch allows the occupant to control the functioning of an air bag. The on-off switch can be installed for the driver, passenger, or both. Light trucks and vehicles without rear seats have preinstalled on-off switches. In other vehicles, these switches may be installed at the request of the owners who meet any of the 4 criteria set by NHTSA. Permission to deactivate air bags must be obtained from NHTSA. Additional information regarding on-off switches may be obtained from the NHTSA Web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov).
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Air Bag Safety
Author: Thelma Kuska, RN, BSN, CEN, Palos Heights, Ill Section Editor: Janet Lassman, RN, BS
Thelma Kuska, Illinois ENA, is Regional Program Manager, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Region 5, Olympia Fields, Ill; E-mail: [email protected]. Reprints not available from the author. J Emerg Nurs 2003;29:153-6. Copyright © 2003 by the Emergency Nurses Association. 0099-1767/2003 $30.00 + 0 doi:10.1067/men.2003.60
April 2003 29:2
W
hen a collision occurs, the motor vehicle decelerates rapidly and its structure absorbs the majority of the crash forces. Unrestrained vehicle occupants continue to move forward at the original speed of the vehicle until they make contact with the vehicle’s interior. Injuries occur as a result of the violent forces that happen in this “second collision.” Because they are secured to the vehicle by safety belts, restrained occupants come to a more gradual stop, significantly reducing the chance of injury.1,2 Safety belts remain the single most effective means to prevent death and injuries from motorvehicle crashes. Air bags also reduce injuries because they are designed to inflate fully before occupants first hit them. As the occupant’s body moves into it, the bag deflates, slowing the occupant gradually while crash forces are distributed uniformly over the occupant’s body. Air bags are designed to limit head and chest injuries. They provide supplemental protection to seat-belt wearers in severe crashes and substantial protection to those who choose not to wear their safety belts.3 Air bags are not soft, billowy pillows. They inflate in less than 1/25th of a second—faster than the blink of an eye—at rates up to 200 miles an hour.3 To deploy, air bags must burst through protective covers and expand in a very short time. If the air bag is fully or almost fully inflated before an occupant moves into it, the air bag will cushion the vehicle occupant. However, if the occupant is too close to the inflating air bag, the force of inflation can be deadly. Children in rear-facing infant seats installed in front of an air bag, children younger than 13 years, unrestrained
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING
153
INJURY PREVENTION/Kuska
FIGURE 1
Seating position diagrams. (Illustration courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
FIGURE 2
Seat-mounted side-impact air bag. (Photo courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
FIGURE 3
Seat-mounted side-impact air bag. (Photo courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.)
children, out-of-position children, and short-statured adults sitting close to the air bag are at great risk. Even properly restrained drivers who are sitting too close to the steering wheel are at risk of sustaining injuries from a deploying air bag.
Second-generation air bags
154
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING
Many newer vehicles have safer air bags that provide improved frontal crash protection, particularly for shortstatured adults and young children. These improvements include reduced inflation power and crash sensors that are
29:2 April 2003
INJURY PREVENTION/Kuska
FIGURE 5
Window curtain side air bag. (Photo courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.) FIGURE 4
Tubular side impact air bag. (Photo courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)
able to differentiate crash forces and adjust inflation depending on the occupant’s seat location, restraint use, or whether the seat is occupied. Some vehicles also have adjustable foot pedals to enable short-statured drivers to sit farther from the steering wheel and still reach the pedals. Safety-belt systems also have been improved to include seat belt pretensioners, designed to remove the slack in the seat belt in a crash, which keeps the occupant away from the deploying air bag, and “load limiters” that reduce the possibility of rib fractures caused by the seat belts.
The possibility of a serious air bag inflation injury exists if there is less than 10 inches between the belted driver and the steering wheel.
to maximize the distance between the air bag module and the center of the chest and to keep the air bag from deploying toward their face. Hands on the steering wheel should be at either the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions or 8 o’clock and 4 o’clock positions. Drivers should avoid placing their hands on top of the steering wheel, which places both hands and arms directly in the path of a deploying air bag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that drivers maintain at least 10 inches between the steering wheel hub and the driver’s breastbone. The possibility of a serious air bag inflation injury exists if there is less than 10 inches between the belted driver and the steering wheel. The force is greatest in the first 2 to 3 inches after the air bag bursts through its cover and begins to inflate. Those 2 to 3 inches are the “risk zone.” The force decreases as the air bag further inflates.4 To avoid inflation injuries, front-seat passengers must keep their feet off the dashboard and avoid leaning or reaching forward while the car is in motion.
Air bag safety tips
Side-impact air bags
All front-seat occupants must be correctly positioned and properly restrained to increase the benefits of a deploying air bag. They must sit upright against the vehicle seat back with the seat adjusted as far to the rear as possible, which will ensure that they are as far away from the air bag module as possible. Drivers should tilt the steering wheel down
Side-impact air bags can provide significant supplemental safety benefits to adults during side-impact crashes. They are designed to prevent head and thoracic injuries and help keep the head and upper body inside the vehicle.4,5 Sideimpact air bags may be located in the outboard edge of the seat back, in the door, in the pillars in front of or behind the
April 2003 29:2
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155
INJURY PREVENTION/Kuska
front doors, in the roof rail above the doors, and, for knee air bags, under the dashboard. Side air bags are most often found in the front seating positions, but a few vehicles have rear-seat side air bags. Most deploy in side-impact crashes, but some are designed to deploy in rollover crashes. Sideimpact air bags come in many forms, from inflatable tubular structures to small pillows to inflatable curtains.1 Side air bags are smaller and use less propellant than front air bags, but they deploy very rapidly. Vehicle passengers should not lean or rest against the door or side of the car that contains a side air bag. Enough distance must be maintained between the occupant and the side air bag module to get the maximum benefit from the side air bag. Because there is potential for causing injuries to children, vehicle manufacturers are requested to deactivate rear-seat side air bags, activating them only upon consumer request.
Vehicle passengers should not lean or rest against the door or side of the car that contains a side air bag. Enough distance must be maintained between the occupant and the side air bag module to get the maximum benefit.
REFERENCES 1. Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety. What you need to know about air bags. Arlington (VA): The Coalition; May 2002. 2. Martinez R. Statement before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation regarding the effectiveness of air bags, January 9, 1997. 3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Advanced air bag technology assessment: a report. Washington (DC): The Administration; April 1998. 4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Air bags and on-off switches: information for an informed decision (DOT HS 808 629). Washington (DC): The Administration. 5. National Safety Council. Five years of air bag safety in America. Washington (DC): The Council; 2001. Contributions for this column are welcomed and encouraged. Submissions should be sent to: Janet Lassman, RN, BS EN CARE, Director, Volunteer Services, 205 S Whiting St, Suite 403, Alexandria, VA 22304 703 370-4050 • [email protected]
On-off switch
An on-off switch allows the occupant to control the functioning of an air bag. The on-off switch can be installed for the driver, passenger, or both. Light trucks and vehicles without rear seats have preinstalled on-off switches. In other vehicles, these switches may be installed at the request of the owners who meet any of the 4 criteria set by NHTSA. Permission to deactivate air bags must be obtained from NHTSA. Additional information regarding on-off switches may be obtained from the NHTSA Web site (www.nhtsa.dot.gov).
156
JOURNAL OF EMERGENCY NURSING
29:2 April 2003