Since airbags have been installed in vehicles, they have saved many lives. Ideally, they deploy at the instant a car experiences the deceleration expected in even a low-speed crash and protect the driver from slamming into the windshield, steering wheel or other fixed objects that could potentially kill or injure them. There are cases, however, where you have to be careful with airbags.

Understanding Airbags

Remember that airbags detect deceleration. This means several things. The most important thing to remember about it, however, is that they can deploy at very low-speed accidents, provided the amount of deceleration is sufficient. This means something in particular for parents.

Oftentimes children injured by airbags when they are in the front seat and an airbag deploys. Remember that, on an average sized adult, the airbag is going to hit them primarily in the chest. There’s a lot of force involved in being hit with an airbag. It’s much more than the average person could throw in a punch, to give you a point of reference. On a child, however, that airbag is likely to deploy directly in their face, which could cause serious injuries or death. Even if you’re just driving across a parking lot, a child needs to be in the backseat in an appropriate child safety device.

Airbag Faults

There have been faults discovered in airbags from time to time. These airbags may deploy at inappropriate times, causing injuries. They may even deploy when there is no chance of an accident, such as when a mechanic is working on the vehicle and the device is accidentally triggered, causing it to deploy and causing them potential injury or death. Safety devices are typically installed on vehicles so that airbags can be turned off or, in some cases, airbags are designed to turn off automatically if the vehicle is off.

What if You’re Injured by an airbag?

There’s a certain amount of injury that is to be expected when an airbag deploys appropriately. Sometimes, however, unsafe air bag manufacturers don’t make their devices up to standards and that ends up getting people seriously injured. If this should happen to you, contact a defective airbag attorney to discuss the matter. If you have airbags in your car, check the NHTSA site to get information on them so that you know what you’re dealing with. In a collision, they may save your life but, in some cases, airbags may actually put it at risk, as well. Unsafe airbag manufacturers can be held responsible when defects cause injury but injuries can sometimes be avoided and lives saved when the product is understood and used properly.