Warning: Air bag can kill child in front seat
Many new cars have air bags for the right front seat. Air bags work with lap/shoulder belts to protect teens and adults. To check if your vehicle has air bags, look for a warning label on the sun visor or the letters "SRS" or "SIR" embossed on the dashboard. The owner’s manual also will tell you.
An inflating passenger air bag can kill a baby in a rear-facing safety seat. An air bag can also be hazardous for children ages 12 and under who ride facing forward. This is especially true if they are not properly buckled up in a safety seat, booster seat, or lap and shoulder belt.
In a crash, the air bag inflates very quickly. It would hit a rear-facing safety seat hard enough to kill the baby. Infants must ride in the back seat, facing the rear. Even in the back seat, do not turn your baby to face forward until he or she is about one year of age and weighs at least 20 pounds. Look for a seat that meets the higher rear-facing weight limit for heavier babies not yet one year of age.
If there is no room in back and you have no alternative, a child over age one who is forward facing may have to ride in front. Make sure the child is correctly buckled up for his or her age and size and that the vehicle seat is moved as far back as possible. Fasten the harness snugly, and make sure a child using a lap and shoulder belt does not lean toward the dashboard. Read your vehicle owner’s guide about the air bags in your car.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, DC.
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