
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 28, 1995                   TAG: 9510300079
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

CAR AIR BAGS CAN BE FATAL TO KIDS

Children who are not restrained by seat belts can be killed or seriously injured by air bags deployed in car crashes, federal safety officials warned Friday.

The powerful punch of air bags - deployed from dashboards at a speed of 100 mph - has been blamed for the deaths of six children, ages 4 to 9.

In recent weeks, a 7-year-old girl in Maryland and a 5-year-old boy in Utah died of injuries thought to have been caused by air bags deployed in slow-speed crashes.

Their deaths might have been avoided if the children had worn seat belts and been seated in the back seat, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Their deaths suggest that wearing seat belts should be a family rule, said NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez. ``Don't gamble with your child's life - regardless of whether a vehicle has an air bag or not,'' he said. ``If children must ride in the front seat, move the seat back'' as far as possible.

This is the first time NHTSA has warned parents that air bags can kill or injure a child or elderly adult. Air bags have been blamed for head and neck trauma in children and chest trauma and laceration of internal organs in adults.

Previously, NHTSA has warned of the risks to infants in rear-facing car seats in the front seat of cars equipped with air bags. The deaths of two infants have been blamed on air bags.

Now, NHTSA is investigating the role - and risks - of air bags to children and to elderly adults. The deaths of 17 adults have been attributed to air bags. Most of those who died were frail, elderly women who had their seats way forward in the car and may not have been wearing seat belts.

Next week, NHTSA will issue a 200-page report on the problem and ask for public comment on air bag performance.

There's little doubt that, overall, air bags save lives. More than 15 million cars are equipped with air bags on both the driver and passenger side. In all, 50 million air bags are in use, and have deployed more than a half million times.

But the issue for NHTSA is: whether the knockout punch of a deployed air bag is necessary - or a killer of unbelted children and elderly adults.

Keywords:
FATALITY

by CNB