Air bags and passenger fatality according to passenger age and restraint use.
BACKGROUND
Some children have been killed by air bags, leading to advice that young children should not sit in front of an active air bag.


METHODS
We conducted a case-control study to estimate the association of passenger air bag presence with death, according to passenger age and seat belt use. We used data from crashes on U.S. public roads in 1992 through 1998. Cases (N = 20,987) were front seat passengers who died, and controls (N = 69,277) were a sample of survivors.


RESULTS
Among restrained passengers, the adjusted relative risk of death for those with a passenger air bag was 0.79 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.66-0.94); for children 12 years or younger, the adjusted relative risk was 1.04 (0.65-1.67) [corrected], and for adults 20 years or older it was 0.75 (0.62-0.91) [corrected]. Among unrestrained passengers, the adjusted relative risk was 1.03 (CI = 0.81-1.30); for children 12 years or younger the adjusted relative risk was 1.37 (0.84-2.21) [corrected], and for adults 20 years or older it was 0.96 (0.75-1.24).


CONCLUSIONS
Passenger air bags may be a hazard to unrestrained children and of little benefit to unrestrained adults. Our results support the advice that children younger than 13 years should not sit in front of an active air bag.
Cummings
Peter
P
Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA. peterc@u.wahington.edu
Koepsell
Thomas D
TD
Rivara
Frederick P
FP
McKnight
Barbara
B
Mack
Christopher
C
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017278:Air Bags / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology