title: How have changes in front air bag designs affected frontal crash death rates? An update.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Provide updated death rates comparing latest generations of frontal air bags in fatal crashes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rates of driver and right-front passenger deaths in frontal crashes per 10 million registered vehicle years were compared using Poisson marginal structural models for passenger vehicles equipped with air bags certified as advanced and compliant (CAC), sled-certified air bags with advanced features, and sled-certified air bags without any advanced features. Analyses of driver death rates were disaggregated by age group, gender, and belt use.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CAC air bags were associated with slightly elevated frontal crash death rates for both drivers and right-front passengers compared to sled-certified air bags with advanced features, but the differences were not statistically significant. Sled-certified air bags with advanced features were associated with significant benefits for drivers and for right-front passengers compared to sled-certified air bags without advanced features. CAC air bags were associated with a significant increase in belted driver death rate and a comparable but nonsignificant decrease in unbelted driver death rate compared to sled-certified air bags with advanced features. Sled-certified air bags with advanced features were associated with a nonsignificant 2 percent increase in belted driver death rate and a significant 26 percent decrease in unbelted driver death rate, relative to sled-certified air bags without advanced features.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implementing advanced features in sled-certified air bags was beneficial overall to drivers and right-front passengers with sled-certified air bags. No overall benefit was observed for CAC air bags compared to sled-certified air bags with advanced features. Further study is needed to understand the apparent reduction in belted driver protection observed for CAC air bags.
authors.affiliation: a Insurance Institute for Highway Safety , Arlington , Virginia.
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Teoh
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017278:Air Bags; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012622:Seat Belts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: advanced air bags; frontal air bags; frontal crashes