How safe is safe?
In the case of passenger-side air bags and children, nobody seems too sure. But it behooves the public and automobile manufacturers to quickly find out.Recent data suggest that passenger air bags are killing twice as many children as they save, even when youngsters are properly seat-belted. That's obviously not what "safety devices" are about.
Since 1994, air bags have killed 22 children under age 12, and government safety experts predict another 20 deaths in 1996. Indeed, eight youngsters are known to have lost their lives from air-bag deployment thus far this year. Two other children have suffered brain damage from passenger air bags in the past two years, and another was temporarily blinded.
True, most of the victims were incorrectly seat-belted, probably through no fault of their own. But the design and placement of air bags in the dashboard - with their deployment at 150 mph upon impact - ensure that the bags hit an adult in the chest but strike the heads or necks of smaller children.
Some safety experts argue that air bags should only be used on the driver's side of any vehicle, where the steering column is the most common killer in a direct-impact collision. That argument is bolstered by the fact that in 1995, just 60 front-seat passengers of all ages were saved by air bags, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Those lives saved weighed against the younger lives lost pose a challenging dilemma for government, automobile manufacturers and anyone who drives with children in the car. And that quandary is growing as - besides the 22 million cars and light trucks already equipped with passenger air bags - more of the devices are being installed in response to a 1999 deadline requiring all new trucks and cars to have them.
What can be done?
First, on a personal level, adults should place children in the back seats of vehicles whenever possible and make certain they are properly restrained. Second, any child placed in the front seat should be properly secured, using a properly working seat belt or child-restraint seat.
Automakers ought to continue to perfect air-bag technology while continuing efforts to educate the public about seat-belt use and other safety considerations. Some vehicles now have switches that allow the passenger bags to be turned on or off, a good solution that puts responsibility for activating the bags in drivers' hands. Several models automate this step by having sensors that detect the amount of weight on the passenger's side and shut off the air bag if the weight is under a certain level.
Finally, investigation should continue into why known safety concerns about passenger-side air bags weren't given serious consideration sooner.
As far back as 1973, an air bag in an experimental Chevrolet killed an infant. Air bags in a mid-1970s Volvo study killed eight of 24 pigs used to simulate unrestrained children. And in 1979, General Motors withdrew plans to introduce passenger-side air bags in 1981 models, citing risks of injury to small children.
But as automakers argued against air bags in general, using this data as evidence against the devices, regulators and safety advocates forged ahead with mandates for implementation. The result: improved safety for adults, but children are paying the price.
That human cost needs to be re-evaluated and balanced for the benefit of all ages.