Warnings on Interaction Between Air Bags and
Rear-Facing Child Restraints
Air bags and child safety seats are effective in preventing
deaths and serious injuries from motor-vehicle crashes (1,2), and
child safety seats are required by law in all 50 states. However,
laboratory crash test data indicate a potential for injury if a
child is placed in a rear-facing restraint in the front seat of any
vehicle equipped with a passenger-side air bag. Although no
children
have been injured in this way, parents should not use a rear-facing
restraint in this manner.
In a crash, a rear-facing child restraint with its back close
to
the instrument panel could be struck by the rapidly inflating air
bag, and a child in the restraint could be seriously injured
(Figures 1A and 1B). Rear-facing child restraints must be used in
the rear seat of vehicles with passenger-side air bags. To be
properly protected, infants must ride in a rear-facing child
restraint until they weigh 20 pounds or are approximately 1 year of
age. Those vehicles with passenger-side air bags and without back
seats are therefore not suitable for rear-facing child restraints.
This consideration should be addressed when a family car is
purchased or rented.
Parents should always read and follow the child restraint
instructions and the vehicle owner's manual for specific directions
on where and how to install a particular child restraint in a
particular vehicle. Although all children should travel in the back
seat of vehicles, forward-facing child restraints may be used in
the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger-side air bag
if the child's age and weight meet the restraint manufacturer's
requirements; the vehicle seat should be moved as far back as
possible so the child is positioned similar to a restrained adult.
Industry is pursuing technologic solutions to reduce the
compatibility problem. Government, industry, and professional
organizations are developing public information strategies to
advise the public of the necessary precautions.
Reported by: American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village,
Illinois. Child Restraint and Air Bag Interaction Task Force,
Society of Automotive Engineers. National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, CDC.
References
Kahane CJ. Evaluation of the effectiveness of occupant
protection: federal motor vehicle safety standard 208 -- interim
report. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation, National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, June 1992; report no.
DOT-HS-807-843.
Kahane CJ. An evaluation of child passenger safety: the
effectiveness and benefits of safety seats. Washington, DC: US
Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1986; report no. DOT-HS-806-890.
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