Old Car Airbags May Be Dangerous to You and Your Kids

First off, we'd like to start by defining what "old" means. The term "old" is quite relative, and really depends on the car owner.  For some, their vehicle might be old after a year of use, while for others, it might mean a decade or more. In our case, "old" literally means really “old”. These are vehicles manufactured during the earlier part of the 90's, especially those that were made before 1998.

If this doesn't apply to you, then you can skip reading this and go here, instead.

Now, if your car is "old" in our standards, and you have 1) child passengers, or 2) your height is between 4-ft 8-in to 5-ft 5 in, then you should definitely read this. Here's why: many old cars before 1998 were notorious for causing injuries to children and for the not-so-tall drivers -- particularly short women. And many of these injuries were caused by airbags that inflated too forcefully, injuring them in the process. The main reason why this happens is because small people have lesser mass and weight, so an  airbag's impact (force) can be felt more intensely compared to tall or large-sized people.

Are the standard dummies used for safety testing really suitable for Filipino drivers?

Men who are 5'8 tall and weigh around 180-lbs are actually the safest when an old car crashes, and it's not just because they have a greater mass and weight to spread out the impact of an exploding airbag. More significantly, theirs was the standard weight and height used by old car makers when testing their dummies for vehicle crashes.

How did they come up with these figures? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these are the average height and weight of a typical American male.

Now here’s the problem: some of these old cars were also sold in the Philippines, and we all know that it’s not the average height of most Filipinos. We’re far shorter than Americans, so the standard criteria used by car makers before didn’t apply to almost all Filipinos. According to studies, Filipinos are the second shortest among all the South East Asian countries (Indonesians are the shortest), with the average Filipino male around 5-ft 4-in tall, and the average Filipina around 4-ft 11-in.

So what we have are old cars with airbags designed to deflect a crash for men who are near 5-ft 8-in tall and weigh around 180-lbs, when in reality, most Filipinos are at the shorter end of this scale. Consequently, many injuries and deaths occur, particularly to infants/children and short people (mostly women).

Common injuries to children caused by old airbags

Keep in mind that small children and airbags don't mix really well together. And it doesn’t matter if they’re old or new. There’s always a possibility that they can cause injuries (and even death) to children especially if they’re --

• Infants or babies that are in backward-facing child seats.
• Small kids in forward-facing child seats.
• Older kids that have their seat belts anchored on their waists only, with no shoulder belts for added reinforcement.
• Children under ages 12 or below.

The most common injuries include:

• Head injuries
• Major and minor abrasions
• Death
• Broken neck
• Spinal cord displacement
• Brain Trauma and Injury
• Head trauma
• Fractures
• Decapitation
• Spinal cord injury

 

How to Make Airbags Safer for Kids

The best place for young children (even when there are no airbags) is at the back seat of the car, fastened in a correct booster seat that's suitable to their age and weight.

Common injuries to short people caused by old airbags

Studies show that short people – especially short women – sit closer than 9.84 inches closer from the steering wheel compared to men. Unfortunately, sitting too close might make the airbag’s impact too forceful, causing injuries such as:

• Wrist and arm injuries (upon the airbag's employment)
• "Melted" sleeves of drivers onto their arms as a result of the soft, nylon fabric of the airbag experiencing friction, much like rubbing an object to a sandpaper's rough surface.
• Detached retinas
• Suffocation
• Impact Deaths

How to Make Airbags Safer for the "Not-So-Tall" Adults

1. Maintain the proper distance.

You should maintain around 10-12 inches of space between the center of the steering wheel and you sternum (or breastbone).

2. Use your seat belt.

Remember that the airbag was designed to work with the seat belt. Together, they are literally the cornerstone of protection when it comes to frontal crashes. These two work together, and taking one from the equation limits their effectiveness significantly.

Move your driver's seat as far back as possible while having access to the steering wheel, accelerator, brake, and other controls. This means that you may have to--

3) Buy pedal extenders / adjusters.

They allow you to push your seat farther back while still having a comfortable access to the steering wheel, your pedals and other controls. They can cost a bit, but they'll get the job done.

4) Maintain the proper grip.

Aside from good posture, try to keep your hands at the "10 and 2" positions. This means that your right hand rests at about 2 o’clock, and your left hand rests at about 1o o’clock -- as on the face of a clock. Some experts say that "8" and "4" positions are also good. These positions help drivers maintain symmetrical leverage on the steering wheel while lessening the chances of injury if the air bag suddenly deploys.

Car airbags have an important role to play when it comes to your safety, and their importance is far too great to be dismissed. And while old bags have their limits, using them properly will definitely outweigh their benefits instead of their weaknesses. Keep in mind, however, that airbags are just tools. In the end, it's your choices that will determine how safe you'll be on the road.