Can Airbags Kill Pre-Teens?
There's no denying that airbags save lives. Airbags usually are located in the steering wheel and dashboard of the front seat, and they're designed to deploy in the event of a car accident. While airbags certainly are a benefit for adult drivers and passengers, they actually can be quite dangerous to preteens. In fact, a 2005 study conducted by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and published in the "Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine," found that air bags can be twice as dangerous to children as the car accident itself.
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Dangers of Airbags
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Airbags deploy with tremendous force and are designed to reduce head injury due to striking the steering wheel or front dashboard, and they are effective at accomplishing that goal for adults. In fact, they prevent about 3,000 adult lives each year, the journal "Pediatrics" reports. According to the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration, the same lifesaving benefits airbags have for adults can cause severe injuries to children. When a child sits too close to the airbag, his small body can suffer dangerous, and potentially life-threatening, injuries, including head and neck injuries, bruising, contusions and burns.
Age Recommendation
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According to the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration, children under the age of 13 always should sit in the backseat. Even though your preteen is getting taller and more adult-like, she's still not big enough physically to be safe in the event that an airbag deploys. According to HealthyChildren.org, airbags are installed with adult males who weigh an average of 165 pounds in mind, and your preteen probably doesn't come close to that yet.
Where Preteens Should Sit
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There is a 63 percent increase in child fatality with the presence of a passenger side airbag, according to "Pediatrics." The journal notes further that an average of 100 children are killed by passenger side airbags each year. Because of this, the safest place for your preteen is the backseat. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia notes, however, that many newer cars are installing airbags in the doors of the backseat, too. While these don't deploy with nearly as much force as the front seat ones do, the middle back seat often is the safest option for your preteen.
Considerations
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If your preteen must sit in the front seat, move the seat as far back as possible so she's as far away from the airbag as she can be, the HealthyChildren.org recommends. If your car, like many newer cars, has a front airbag on/off switch, turn if off if your preteen must sit in the front seat. Buckle your preteen in properly if she's riding in the front seat, as well. Even with these precautions, your preteen still is at risk for injury if the airbag were to deploy, but they do help reduce the risks a small amount if you have no other choice but to let your preteen ride in the front seat.
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