FEATURES THAT PROVIDE PROTECTION DURING A CRASH

Safety Belts
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that new buyers sit in a vehicle, buckle up their safety belts, and check the fit. Buyers should also check the Available Features chart for each vehicle at www.safercar.gov for the availability of additional safety belt features such as adjustable upper belts, safety belt pretensioners, energy management features, integrated safety belt systems, safety belt extenders and innovative belt reminder systems.

Integrated Child Safety Seats
There are pros and cons to integrated child safety seats. On the plus side, they are generally installed properly and are very safe if they fit your child properly and are used correctly. Disadvantages to consider include the following:
• Emergency personnel often prefer to remove a child in a separate car seat. This keeps the child immobilized in case of head/spinal injury, and allows for safer transport in the ambulance.
• Integrated seats do not function rear-facing. Rear-facing is safest for babies and very young children.
• Integrated seats do not usually have any form of side-impact protection. Many child safety seats that can be purchased at retail have some form of side-impact protection. Deep wells on the side also help keep a sleeping child's head more upright.
• Harnesses on some integrated seats can be difficult to adjust, and may not fit tightly, especially on smaller children. This can lead to an unsafe fit and make it easier for a child to remove all or part of the restraint. Some integrated seats have limited or no harness height adjustment.

Airbags
Frontal airbags for both drivers and passengers have been standard equipment in all vehicles since 1998. Beginning with 2004 vehicles, advanced airbag systems are required in a portion of each manufacturer’s production. By September 1, 2006, all new vehicles will have advanced (frontal) airbag systems. Most advanced airbag systems use sensors that automatically detect the severity of the crash, the occupant’s size, safety belt use, and/or seating position, and deploy the appropriate level of power to the driver’s and passenger’s frontal airbags.

Side-impact airbags (SABs) are being offered as standard or optional equipment on many new passenger vehicles. SABs are inflatable devices that are designed to help protect your head and/or chest in the event of a serious crash involving the side of your vehicle. NHTSA estimates that if all the vehicles on U.S. roads were equipped with head protection SABs, 700 to 1,000 lives would be saved per year in side-impact crashes. NHTSA also estimates that, in side-impact crashes involving at least one fatality, nearly 60 percent of those killed have suffered brain injuries. For specific information about SAB systems in vehicles, go to the NHTSA site, www.safercar.gov.

Vehicle Weight
A heavier vehicle will generally protect you better in a crash. NHTSA research has shown that occupants in passenger cars are at a greater risk of being fatally injured when struck in the front or the side by a heavier and higher-riding light truck or SUV. Weight should be a primary consideration when purchasing a vehicle that a teenager will be driving. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States.

Pritzker | Ruohonen has decades of experience representing victims of car accidents. To contact the firm, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.

Source: SaferCar.gov