Antosia R E, Partridge R A, Virk A S
Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Ann Emerg Med. 1995 Jun;25(6):794-8. doi: 10.1016/s0196-0644(95)70210-5.
To describe injuries associated with deployment of air bag passive-restraint systems in use in the United States.
Retrospective review of data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 1980 to 1994.
Occupants of air bag-equipped vehicles who were involved in crashes on US roads.
Of 618 reported occupant injuries related to air bag deployment, an overwhelming majority were classified as minor (96.1%). Most occupants sustained abrasions, contusions, and lacerations. The face (42.0%), wrist (16.8%), forearm (16.3%) and chest (9.6%) were the most frequently injured body areas.
Most injuries related to air bag deployment are minor and must be viewed in the context of the potentially life-threatening injuries they prevent.
