Current recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warn parents not to seat children 12 and under in front of air bags because they could be significantly injured or killed if the air bags deploy during an accident. But a new study from researchers at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, University of California in Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute suggests that the risk of air-bag injury during an accident persists until kids are 14.
Using a nationwide database that provided information about motor vehicle crashes over an 8-year period, researchers identified 3,790 children between 1 month and 18 years of age who'd been seated in the right front passenger seat during an accident. During the time of the study, air bags became a standard feature in 98% of cars and trucks sold. Researchers looked at each child's age, height, weight, whether he or she was wearing a seatbelt and the type of seatbelt, whether the air bag deployed, whether the child was injured, the severity of injuries, the damage to the vehicle during the crash, and other details about the accident.
About 2% of the children and teens in the study were seriously injured during motor vehicle accidents. Height and weight didn't have an impact on a child's risk for being seriously injured by an air bag, but age did. Children under 14 years of age who were involved in front-end collisions were at increased risk of serious injury if seated behind air bags or if the air bags deployed. But teens between 15 and 18 years old involved in front-end collisions had a reduced risk of injury when seated behind air bags or when air bags deployed.
What This Means to You: According to this study's results, children 14 and under are at increased risk of injury if they're seated behind air bags during a front-end collision. To reduce your child's risk of injury during a motor vehicle accident and to reduce the risk of injury from an air bag, seat your child in the back seat. In addition to putting your child in the back, you should also use the proper restraint system, whether that's an infant child safety seat, a booster seat, or a seat belt. If you have any questions about child restraints or air bags, talk to your child's doctor.
Source: Craig D. Newgard, MD, MPH; Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD; Pediatrics, June 2005
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: June 2005
