Are Airbags Safe? What You Need to Know

If you’ve never been in a car accident before, it can be difficult to describe. Your life can change instantly, and as a victim, you’ll usually have little time to react. Even excellent drivers should be prepared for the worst possible scenario, which is why airbags are legally required in all modern vehicles.

Are airbags safe, though? What are the odds that the deployment of one will actually end up saving your life? Our team at Ipson Law is here to answer your questions. 

Are Airbags Safe Enough to Keep You Alive in an Accident?

You might be wondering how safe airbags are in an emergency. Few will deny the fact that airbags can save lives. They’ve been shown to reduce fatalities by up to 30% in a front-end collision. If you’re buckled up, your likelihood of survival jumps significantly. 

Side airbags offer about the same amount of protection. The figure increases with the vehicle size—SUVs, for example, are much safer with side airbags than sedans and other similar vehicles.

However, airbag injuries do occur—it’s fairly unlikely that you’ll emerge from a collision totally unscathed from the airbag deployment. In a minor accident, the airbag is capable of causing: 

• Burns
• Abrasions
• Bruises
• Sprains

These injuries occur independently of the rest of the accident, and the airbag may break bones and teeth in a more serious collision. Petite individuals might even experience a spinal or neck injury. (Which is why some vehicles have sensors in the passenger seat that automatically turn the airbag off if a certain weight isn’t met.)

How Safe Are Airbags for Children?

Unfortunately, airbags are not safe for kids. The unfortunate reality is that most reported airbag deaths involve children, especially if they’re not secured in a rear-facing car seat. 

There’s a reason car manufacturers advise you to seat your kids in the back—it’s also our recommendation. The back of the vehicle is the safest place for all children under 13 to ride, with the proper harness, car seat, and seat belts in place.

If you drive a car with a front passenger airbag, the device poses a significant risk to both infants in rear-facing seats and older children in a car seat or sitting on their own. Because they’re not as tall as the adults the airbags were designed for, children may end up seriously injured by the airbag, even in a minor accident.

How Safe Are Airbags from a Legal Standpoint?

Whether your airbags deploy in a collision doesn’t have much to do with the legal aspect after the accident, aside from possibly influencing your eventual insurance claim and payout. While airbag deployment may be used to paint a more accurate picture of the incident after the fact, this factor alone doesn’t usually determine the driver’s fault.

A faulty airbag is a different story. In the event of airbag failure, you might actually have more to gain from airbag and automobile manufacturers from a liability standpoint. Your case will likely stand firm as long as you haven’t voided the warranty or modified your car’s airbags before the accident.

How Safe Are My Airbags?

In 2003, new airbag restrictions were put into place that needed to be applied by 2006. In the decade that followed, airbags are credited for saving 25,222 lives. These more advanced airbags were designed to be safer than previous models, while continuing to save lives.

Are airbags safe enough to save your life? They might be; while many claim that they do more harm than good, they’re likely to protect you to some extent, especially in low-speed auto collisions. So, how safe are airbags? They’re usually safer than the alternative. If you’ve ever been in a car accident, we think you’ll agree. 

Personal Injury Attorneys in Utah

If you have further questions about airbags or have been involved in an accident, contact Ipson Law for a free consultation. As personal injury attorneys in Utah, we’re experts at fighting for the compensation you deserve.