Nonfatal air bag deployments involving child passengers

Gotschall, Catherine S.; Eichelberger, Martin R.; Morrissey, J. René; Better, Allison I.; Reardon, Jean; Bents, Francis

Affiliations

¹Children's National Medical Center

Abstract

This study describes nonfatal interactions between children and front passenger air bags. Twelve surviving children aged 12 and younger who experienced passenger air bag deployments were identified from hospital emergency department records and police accident reports. Data from crash reconstructions and medical records were analyzed to determine mechanisms responsible for each injury sustained. Four of six children in safety seats and one of six children restrained in lap/shoulder belts sustained significant brain injuries. It is recommended that infant seats and forward facing safety seats be placed in the rear seats of vehicles equipped with passenger air bags.

Links

DOI: 10.4271/973297

SAE: 973297

Cited Works (5)

Year	Entry
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Cited By (2)

Year	Entry
2002	Arbogast KB, Morris SD, Durbin DR, Winston FK. The influence of harness type on child restraint system misuse. In: 46th Annual Proceedings, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM). September 30–October 2, 2002; Tempe, AZ.
1999	Arbogast KB, Durbin DR, Resh BF, Winston FK. The influence of occupant and vehicle characteristics on risk of pediatric air bag injury. In: Proceedings of the 43rd Stapp Car Crash Conference. October 25-27, 1999; San Diego, CA. Warrendale, PA: Society of Automotive Engineers:377-385. SAE 99SC27.