Air Bags Can Kill Essay, Research Paper
Air Bags Can Kill
Even though air bags are designed to save lives, they can be
harmful or fatal to some people. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has recognized this concern and has made efforts to
reduce injuries caused by air bag deployment by allowing the installation
of a switch that turns off air bags. But in order to have a switch
installed, the driver must file a request for an air bag on-off switch.
People shouldn?t have to seek permission from the government to
disable a device that has been found to be responsible for many deaths
from their vehicles.
According to The Oracle, ?Turning off the airbags?,
(http://zephyr.oracle.usf.edu/archive/199711/19971119/19971119-comm
ent1.html), when an airbag deploys, there is an explosion in the dash and
steering wheel that releases the airbags at a speed of 200 mph. This force
has been found to be the cause of many deaths, mostly being children.
And the explosion that propels the airbag can cause chemical burns and
even blindness. The dangers of airbags are so great that car
manufacturers now put warning labels in vehicles explaining the
dangers.
Now, according to CNN, ?Government announces rules for air
bag switches,?
(http://www.cnn.com/US/9711/18/airbags.presser/index.html), if the
owner of a vehicle or a passenger has a medical condition which would
put them at a greater risk from airbags, then they can apply permission to
disable the airbags in their vehicle. This also applies if a child must ride
in the front seat. But it doesn?t protect people who would need to drive
someone else?s car, or people who would give someone else?s children a
ride. It will only protect the vehicle?s owner and immediate family.
Although passing the rule that allows the owner of a vehicle to
disable the airbags is a good start in saving lives, it is not enough.
Everyone can?t have switches installed in their vehicles, just people who
meet the requirements set by the NHSTA. The government shouldn?t
have to decide whether or not air bags pose a treat to individual
passengers and drivers. As Henry Thoreau says in ?Civil Disobedience?
Conversations p.642, ?government is best which governs least.? We just
don?t need laws on airbags at all. It would be more practical for the
driver of the car to make the choice if the airbags should be on or off. If
there is to be a law passed, then it should require auto manufactures to
put shutoff switches on all vehicles equipped with airbags. The
government won?t do this because it has the attitude that it has to protect
everyone from themselves, and that if the people are given a choice in
their safety, then they will make the wrong choice. This is unfortunate,
especially with airbags, because unlike other mandatory safety devices,
like seat belts, air bags have been proven dangerous. They now have
warnings on them explaining how dangerous they are and how to protect
yourself from them, but wouldn?t the best protection for some be turning
them off? For some the answer is ?yes.? Even though most people
benefit from airbags in serious crashes, some don?t. And these people
need to be able to turn off the air bag in front of them in any vehicle they
drive or ride in, not just the one they own.
This problem has a simple solution. Allowing anyone to install a shutoff switch
on his/her own vehicle without having to get permission from the government would be
the first step. Also, all new vehicles should have airbag shutoff switches as standard
equipment. And the NHTSA should put out public awareness advertisements about who
airbags help and who they can be harmful to. The informed consumer would then be able
to override the airbag system whenever they might pose a threat to the driver or passenger
and many lives would be saved
Bibliography
Sorces
Special Crash Investigation Report
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/ncsa/SCIFiles/1099rpt.htm
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
49 CFR Parts 571 and 595
[Docket No. NHTSA-97-3111]
RIN 2127 – AG61
Air Bag On-Off Switches
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/airbags/rule/section01.html
Mazda Safety Notice
6 August, 1997
http://www.miata.net/misc/airbagsafety.html