Notice to Readers
Approval of Installation of Air Bag On-Off Switches For Certain
Motor-Vehicle Owners
On November 18, 1997, the U.S. Department of Transportation
(DOT) announced a final rule that allows vehicle owners who meet
certain qualifying criteria to have air bag on-off switches
installed in their vehicles beginning January 19, 1998. * The
on-off
switch can be installed for the driver, passenger, or both. Owners
who certify that they or another occupant of their vehicle are in
one of four identified risk groups can request and receive
authorization from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) to have a switch installed. Additional
information is available from NHTSA's World-Wide Web site
(http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov) or from the DOT Auto Safety Hotline
({800} 424-9393), where copies are available of the brochure Air
Bags & On-Off Switches: Information for an Informed Decision and
the form Request for Air Bag On-Off Switch. These materials also
will be available at state motor-vehicle offices, automobile clubs,
and some new car dealerships.
Reported by: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Div of
Unintentional Injury Prevention, National Center for Injury
Prevention and Control, CDC.
Editorial Note
Editorial Note: Air bags are effective in reducing many deaths and
injuries in moderately severe frontal impact crashes (1). However,
air bags also have posed special risks for children and
short-stature persons who may be sitting too close to either the
steering wheel or the dash board at the time of deployment (2,3).
Because air bags are designed to supplement the use of lap and
shoulder belts and not to replace them, air bags alone do not
protect occupants in every type of crash (e.g., rollover crashes).
Combination lap and shoulder belts and child safety seats remain
the most effective occupant-protection devices available.
Therefore, all occupants of a motor vehicle should use combination
lap and shoulder belts consistently, and all children aged less
than or equal to 12 years should be transported in the back seat in
age- and size-appropriate restraints. Regardless of whether the
vehicle has an air bag and whether a vehicle owner or operator
decides to install an on-off switch, the rear seat is the safest
seating position.
The decision to have an on-off switch installed must be in
accordance with the DOT ruling. If a switch is installed, however,
drivers must exercise discretion when deciding to turn it on or off
and must understand both the circumstances in which the air bag
poses unusual injury risks and when the air bag can provide
additional protective benefits. Because the occurrence of crashes
with air bag deployment cannot be predicted, drivers and front-seat
passengers should always position themselves as far back from the
air bag as possible, and all occupants should be properly
restrained at all times.
References
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Effectiveness of
occupant protection systems and their use: third report to
Congress. Washington, DC: US Department of Transportation,
National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1996.
CDC. Update: fatal air bag-related injuries to children --
United
States, 1993-1996. MMWR 1996;45:1073-6.
Braver ER, Ferguson SA, Greene MA, Lund AK. Reductions in deaths
in frontal crashes among right front passengers in vehicles
equipped with passenger air bags. JAMA 1997;278:1438-9.
* 49 CFR Parts 571 and 595.
Disclaimer
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