A safety airbag can be a killer

Many of the new vehicles for sale in Panama have fewer airbags than those sold in the States. Can this be a good thing? It depends upon the airbag's design. Generally, airbags reduce head-on crash fatalities by up to 30 percent and moderate-to-severe injuries by 25 to 29 percent. Injury claims at hospitals resulting from traffic crashes have also dropped 24 percent as a result of airbags. But there is a downside to airbag use.

To begin with, no airbag is safe, although some model years are safer than others. Pre-’97 airbags explode too forcefully and can seriously injure or kill occupants vulnerable to injury. Later de-powered “smart” devices are less hazardous, but they’re not smart enough.

Many systems will malfunction and deactivate the airbag for no reason at all, or if an occupant weighs less than 120 pounds.

Bang! for no reason.

Airbags frequently go off for no apparent reason, usually because of faulty sensors. Causes of sudden deployment include passing over a bump in the road; slamming the car door; having wet carpets; or, in some Chrysler minivans, simply putting the key in the ignition.

This happens more often than you might imagine, judging by the frequent recalls and thousands of complaints recorded. on one website. Incidentally, dealers and manufacturers are routinely denying claims by alleging that airbags don’t go off without a collision. They usually back down if the motorist threatens court action.

"Our airbags on our 2003 Volkswagen Jetta deployed for no reason on a smooth surface. We were denied warranty because the VW technician found two small dents on the bottom of the car. We met another Volkswagen Jetta driver who experienced basically the same as us, and was also denied warranty. An employee at the dealership stated that another customer had an airbag deploy on a Jetta one month earlier causing $5,600 in damage? The deployment of our airbag tore open the ceiling along the passenger side of the car, ruptured the seat, damaged the panel beside the passenger seat, and immobilized the front passenger seat belt? These airbags instead of bringing safety are more of a danger. If we had been aware of this or the way Volkswagen would respond to this problem, we never would have bought from them"

If you are hit from the rear and thrown within 25 centimeters of the steering wheel as the airbag deploys, you risk severe head, neck, or chest trauma, or even death. If you are making a turn, with your arms crossing in front of the steering wheel, you are out of position and risk fractures to both arms. If you drive with your thumbs extended a bit into the steering hub area, say goodbye to both thumbs when the housing cover explodes.

Sometimes, just being female is enough to get you killed. Two startling Transport Canada– financed studies have found that airbags REDUCE the risk of injury by only an additonal two percent for adults who wear seat belts, while INCREASING the risk of injury to women by nine percent and the risk of death for children by 21 percent.

Airbag benefits generally outweigh their shortcomings, and they shouldn’t be disabled without good reason. To be safe, choose a vehicle with adjustable brake and accelerator pedals or an adjustable seat that can travel backward far enough to keep you at a safe distance (about 25 cm, or one foot) from the front airbag’s explosive force.

Children’s safety can be assured by getting a vehicle with an airbag shut-off switch, or by having the children sit in the rear middle seat position, away from front seat backs, which frequently collapse in rear-enders.

Remember, side airbags that protect the torso and head are much safer than torso-only systems. Torso-only systems can provoke sever head and spinal column trauma.

Next week: Can you Believe Car Ratings?