Air Bag Safety

U.S. Department of Transportation
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590

December 16, 1996

Dear Owner:

The air bags in your vehicle can save your life in a frontal crash. But they also can seriously hurt or kill someone who is too close to the air bag when it inflates, especially infants in rear-facing child seats or unrestrained children. This letter provides important information about air bag safety to help you avoid the risk of injury.

Overall, air bags are working well and have reduced driver fatalities in head-on crashes by 30 percent. They are credited with saving more than 1,600 lives since late 1983 when they began appearing in the U.S. fleet. To do this, air bags must inflate very quickly - faster than the blink of an eye.

To avoid injury from an inflating air bag, here are the simple rules you should follow on every trip:

  • Always place children 12 years and under in the rear seat (and make sure they are properly restrained).
  • Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat if the vehicle is equipped with a passenger-side air bag.
  • Always move both driver and passenger seats as far back from the air bag as practical.
  • Always buckle up properly - lap and shoulder belts for adults, and child restraints, booster seats, or lap and shoulder belts as appropriate for the size and age of the child.
We recommend that you print and place this letter in your glove box for subsequent owners or as a reminder to you.

For more information on air bag safety, please consult your vehicle owner's manual or call NHTSA's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393, or visit our web site at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Sincerely, Ricardo Martinez, M.D.