AUTO ACCIDENTS: USING AIR BAG
One of the most successful car safety inventions in recent years doesn’t require you to do anything-one of the reasons, perhaps, for its success. We’re talking about the air bag. When it comes to head-on collisions, air bags help reduce the death rate by about 34 percent. While it’s true that in certain circumstances an inflating air bag can actually cause injury, those cases are generally avoidable and also pale in comparison to the number of lives that air bags have saved. The key to getting the full-blown benefits from your air bags is proper usage. Here’s how.
Buckle everyone in. “Unfortunately, many, if not most, of the people who have been hurt by inflating air bags were not properly restrained,” Kennedy says. “Never rely on the air bag alone to save you. You and your passengers, in the front and back, should always wear your seat belts. Younger children-up to 6 years old-according to their size and your state’s regulation, should always be in approved child safety seats.” When taking Junior to batting practice, be sure he’s securely buckled up in the back seat if he’s younger than 12. The impact of an inflating air bag can be fatally overpowering for kids. The same is true for infants in child seats. Always keep them in the back, properly restrained, adds Kennedy.
Use the 10-inch rule. The Department of Transportation recommends that people sit as far away from the steering wheel as possible, while still having full control of the car. If you can hold a piece of paper lengthwise-roughly 10 inches-between your chest and the steering wheel hub, that’s a safe distance.
Move up, not in. Not everyone is 5 feet 10 inches or taller. And not everyone can comfortably see over the dashboards of bigger cars and trucks. If you’re one of them, don’t squeeze in close to the dash to peer over. Kennedy’s suggestion: Buy a “booster cushion,” which lifts you a couple of inches, instead. If you’re dreading getting ragged by your buddies, buy one for the passenger seat, too, then cover both with seat covers. You’ll both see better on your next trip and be safer, too.
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