The whole premise of an airbag just sounds good, doesn't it? Instead of colliding with your car's steering wheel, dashboard or door, you get cushioned by a pillow of air. While airbags aren't exactly as cuddly-soft as a bear in a toilet paper commercial, making contact with one sure beats making contact with a steel panel. Since 1998, front driver and passenger airbags have been required equipment in all cars and trucks sold in the United States. But could airbags actually end up hurting or killing the people they're supposed to protect? Anyone who's been in an accident in which the airbag has deployed can tell you that the event is extremely violent. It has to be: Airbags need to get in front of the person they're protecting and fully inflate before that person makes contact with something more harmful than the airbag itself. In fact, the technology used to deploy airbags is similar to the technology in some rocket boosters.

Sitting too close to a deploying airbag can result in burns and injuries. Using an airbag without a seatbelt or Orthopedic Sleep Pillow having something between you and the airbag (like a pet, a glass bottle or even a cell phone) can also result in serious injury. The people most at risk of death from airbag deployment are children and small adults, because their bodies can't take the force. Moreover, most children ride in child safety seats, sleep comfort aid which aren't designed for use with airbags. Seat type and positioning can also put a child at risk. Rear-facing child safety seats, for example, should never be used in the front seat of a car because an airbag could cause serious injury or death if it strikes the back of the seat. Airbags undoubtedly save lives when they're used properly, and they pose little risk to adults. If you must have a child ride in the front seat of a vehicle, and if your car is so-equipped, you can switch the front passenger airbag off fairly easily - the instructions are in your owner's manual. Huffman, John Pearley. "The Physics of: Airbags." Car and Driver. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Stockburger, Jennifer. "The Ford Inflatable Seatbelt: How It Affects Car Seats and Children." Consumer Reports. Wald, Mathew. "The Dangers from Airbags and Ways to Avoid Them." The New York Times.