Citation

Antosia RE, Partridge RA, Virk AS. Ann. Emerg. Med. 1995; 25(6): 794-798.

Affiliation

Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, American College of Emergency Physicians, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7755203

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe injuries associated with deployment of air bag passive-restraint systems in use in the United States. DESIGN: Retrospective review of data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 1980 to 1994. PARTICIPANTS: Occupants of air bag-equipped vehicles who were involved in crashes on US roads. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: Most injuries related to air bag deployment are minor and must be viewed in the context of the potentially life-threatening injuries they prevent.