Full of Hot Air

By Dr. Steven Warfield

Today I would like to share with you some information regarding airbags.  While airbags without a doubt save lives in auto accidents, they can also be a hazard if they are not used properly.  Statistics show us that airbags prevent hundreds of fatalities year in and year out in the US.  However, what most people do not realize is that they are also responsible for a number of injuries and  deaths every year, due to passengers either riding with their seat belt unfastened, or people (particularly women and children) who are seated incorrectly.

Airbags can deploy at speeds of 100-200 mph.  (The sound of a deploying air bag is like that of a gunshot.) They are designed to spring into action at the speed necessary to keep those in the vehicle from impacting with fixed objects such as the steering wheel or dashboard, as well as from being bodily ejected.  While the main airbags are located in the steering wheel and dashboard, most vehicles have a number of supplemental airbags which may be located above the doors (side curtain airbags), in or next to both the front and back seats (side air bags) and even below the dashboard (knee airbags). 

Designed to protect the occupants of a vehicle, due to the lightning fast inflation of these devices, airbags have been known to cause injuries to the head, neck, chest or arms when they have deployed to drivers and/or passengers who sat too close to the deploying device.    Drivers are advised to sit at least ten inches from the steering wheel.  Drivers that are below five foot four inches tall are advised to tilt the steering wheel down and raise the seat up.  Children are particularly vulnerable to being injured by airbags, particularly if they are not properly seated and secured.  When in doubt consult the vehicle’s owner’s manual to determine how to safely seat children.

Even adults who are seated correctly with their seat belts fastened can be injured by airbags, particularly drivers.  When we were taught how to drive most of us were told to keep our hands on the steering wheel at the ten o’clock and two o’clock positions.  The problem was that many of us went through driver’s ed before the advent of the air bag. Since then this concept has been altered, since it was discovered that people who drove this way had a high risk of having their wrists broken when the air bags deployed.  Many experts today advise drivers to place their hands at the nine o’clock and three o’clock position to avoid the risk of air bag injury.

A study conducted by the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated, “When we look at the random sample of all accidents, we find that airbags are associated with increased risk of death in low-speed crashes where air bags were deployed and seatbelts were not fastened. However, if we limit the dataset to include only collisions in which a fatality occurred, we get a significantly reduced risk of death due to airbags.”

Injuries to the face and eyes are also a real possibility in accidents where air bags are deployed.  Everything from facial laceration to fractured cheekbones have been known to occur, along with corneal abrasion or detached retina injuries.  Since air bags also disburse sodium hydroxide upon deployment, this can result in chemical burns to the face and/or eyes. People who have undergone LASIK surgery or radial keratotomy are at risk for corneal rupture should they be involved in an accident that causes the air bags to deploy. 

When researchers from the Helsinki University Eye Hospital studied 300 eye-injury cases resulting from air-bag deployment, they concluded that drivers and passengers have a 2.5 percent chance of having an eye injury if an air bag deploys. The study also revealed that wearing glasses didn’t increase injury and actually helped protect the eyes from airbag chemicals. (Optician).

If you or any of your family is involved in a motor-vehicle accident where the air bags deploy, you should schedule an appointment with your chiropractor right away.  The trauma associated with a crash even if not immediately evident can result in a number of subtle injuries that can later manifest themselves in a variety of symptoms.  These can include headaches, backaches, loss of mobility to the neck and even ear infections.  If not diagnosed and treated early these conditions can lead to complications down the road that may or may not be covered after the fact by your insurance.

Preflight Checklist

Driver - Sit no closer than 10 inches away from the steering wheel.

             Position hands at “nine o’clock” and “three o’clock”

Everyone - Wear their seat belts at all times.

Kids - Never allow children less than four feet tall to ride in the front seat.

           Don’t place rear-facing infant or child seats in the front passenger seat.

            Consult the owner’s manual to determine the best way to seat children.

Dr.’s Steven Warfield and Dave Edenfield offer the most advanced treatments for back pain, sciatica, neck pain, whiplash and headaches. They also treat auto accident victims with state-of-the-art technologies.  For more information visit http://endyourpain.org or http://chiropractor-jacksonville-fl.com