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Air Bag Injuries Down

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2001 -- Fewer children are being killed by air bags, safety experts say. The credit goes to parents and an expensive public awareness campaign funded by insurance companies and car makers.

The National Safety Council reported that in 1996, 35 children were killed by passenger-side air bags. In 2000, with three times as many air bags in use, the number fell to about 18.

Alarmed by the growing number of deaths, industry groups a few years ago launched a $35 million public education campaign to alert parents to the dangers air bags posed to children under 12. Today, most parents know that children should be strapped into a rear seat.

Design changes have also helped. Newer air bags deploy with less explosive force than older ones and are not as likely to cause serious injury, according to Chuck Hurley of the National Safety Council, a private not-for-profit group.

The director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Dr. Jeffrey Runge, agreed that progress has been made. The next challenge, he said, is to educate parents about the proper positioning of seat belts and the use of booster and child seats.

Children can be seriously injured by shoulder belts that are sized for adults if the belts cut across their necks and faces instead of their chests, Runge said. The use of safety seat and booster seats can ensure that the belts are properly positioned.

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