Airbag Dangers

As a country, we put so much trust in air bags that in 1989, the US government passed a law saying that all new cars had to include this safety feature. We all like to think we can relax while driving our cars, knowing that even if we do experience an accident, our air bags will keep us protected.

Sadly, sometimes the protections we rely on let us down. Airbags may not always be as effective as they should, and they can even be dangerous. Between 1990 and 2001, for example, 215 people were killed by airbags that accidentally inflated in low-impact collisions.

What could make an airbag dangerous?

Some people do not understand how a legally required safety feature could actually hurt people in some cases. Airbags can be dangerous because:

• They are designed to deploy very quickly. This is obviously necessary if the airbag is going to inflate in time to be effective, but it also means that they leave their containers with a great amount of force. This can cause bruises and hurt ribs even under the best circumstances.
• They only work when passengers are seating and restrained correctly. If a person is not wearing a seat belt, or is not facing forward with their feet on the floor, an airbag can sometimes do more harm than good.
• Children are at or near eye-level with most airbags. For this reason, drivers are encouraged to seat children in the back of a car or switch the passenger side airbag off for children if this is an option. Children have been badly injured and even killed by airbags before.

Sometimes airbags are dangerous because of flaws in their design or manufacture. A faulty airbag may deflate too soon, too late or incorrectly. If you have been injured due to a badly made airbag, contact Madison airbag injury lawyers Habush, Habush & Rottier at 608-255-6663.