Injuries associated with airbag deployment
trauma deaths among children and young adults by 20% (from 199patagonia guide jacket backers16 levels) by 2010.1 The commonest cause of such deaths in the UK is motor vehicle crashes (MVC), and the same is true of the United States of
America.2 In the UK in 1996, 250 000 MVC victims attended hospital and 3000 of them died.1
In both the UK and USA, the number of car users who have been killed or seriously injured has fallen over the past 30 years
despite huge increases in thepatagonia better sweater orange volume of traffic (R Cuerden, et al, 63rd Road safety conference, 1998). There have been many national programmes over the patagonia guide jacket backers0years to effect this reduction: useful
strategies have included rigorous enforcement of speed limits, compulsory seat belt wearing and, more recently, the introduction
of airbags into vehiclepatagonia guide jacket backers2s. Although correctly fitted patagonia jacket new yorkthree point seat belts have been shown to be safer than airbags,4 there is no doubt that airbags in themselves reduce deaths.3 If both devices are used together, further reductions in mortality are to be expected.
The first airbag was fitted to a car in the USA in the 1950s. In the mid 1980s Passive Safety Federal Legislation was passed
with a resultant increase in airbag use. In 1995, over 70% of new USA cars hapatagonia men's better sweater fleece jacketd airbags installed, and it has been mandatory
in law to provide driver and passenger airbags in all new cars in the USA since 1998. At present, there is no law governing
tpatagonia guide jacket backershe use of airbags in the UK (although there are rules for their storage and fitment).
In 1983, 14% of USA drivers used seat belts; more modern estimates5 put the fipatagonia outlet store lagure at up patagonia outlet store nycto 60%. Although this figure is improving, USA airbags have had to be designed to protect both the belted
and unbelted occupant. To achieve this, airbags inflate rapidly (50 ms) under high pressure to a volume of 70 litres. In contrast,
UK (and Western European) fitted airbags are only designed to protect a belted occupant and inflate to 30 litres within the
same time. This is in part attributable to seat belt use in the UK and Europe, which is estimated at 88% 91% (dependent on
sex and age, R Cuerden, et al, IRCOBI Conference, 2001).
The first driver s side airbag was introduced in the UK in the late 1980s, but such devices only became widely available when
Ford began to fit them in 1992. More recently, passenger side airbags have become more commonplace. While apatagonia guide jacket backers3irbags have obvious
benefits, there has been a corresponding increase in the numbpatagonia guide jacket backer of injuries seen as a result of airbag deployment.
The first case report of an airbag associated fatality in the UK was published in 2000.6 In the USA, where airbags are larger and more powerful and seat belt law varies from state to spatagonia guide pants belttate, airbag related deaths
and injuries arpatagonia guide pants joggerse more common.
Deceleration forces are dependent on the deforming ability of the vehicle. Newer vehicles are produced with the evidence from
crash rpatagonia guide pants 97%esearch studies in mind, and are designed to deform extensively on impact. This is intended to result in a reduction
