An Overview of Frontal Air Bag Performance with Changes in Frontal Crash-Test Requirements: Findings of the Blue Ribbon Panel for the Evaluation of Advanced Technology Air Bags

Abstract

Objective. In the mid-1990s, evidence emerged that air bag deployments could result in deaths to vulnerable vehicle occupants who were very close to air bag modules when they deployed. In 1997, federal frontal crash test requirements were modified to allow crash testing with unbelted dummies to be performed using sled tests. As a result, vehicle manufacturers were able to redesign air bags to deploy with less force and energy, thereby reducing the toll of air bag–induced deaths. However, there was concern that depowered air bags may not provide the same level of protection to unbelted occupants in severe frontal crashes, particularly occupants of large stature and body mass. This paper provides a summary of recent studies addressing this issue.

Methods. To expedite the accrual of data regarding air bag performance, the collection of additional crash data was funded by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. A panel of experts was commissioned to oversee the process and evaluate the data. During the past 6 years, a series of studies has been undertaken by panel members and others to evaluate the performance of redesigned air bags and the data are summarized here.

Results and Conclusions. There is now convincing evidence that the combination of air bag redesign and public education have resulted in dramatic reductions in air bag–induced infant and child deaths. In addition, the frontal crash fatality risks among children sitting in front seats have been reduced by as much as half, with younger children showing the greatest benefits. Among adult drivers and right-front passengers, there is no evidence for the predicted overall loss of protection with sled-certified air bags and there are far fewer air bag–induced deaths among this population. However, despite exhaustive analyses of frontal-crash data, the possibility of a somewhat elevated fatality risk among a subset of unbelted drivers in sled-certified 1998–1999 model vehicles cannot be ruled out. There also is some evidence that the risks of serious chest injury may be higher among unbelted drivers in frontal crashes in sled-certified vehicles with redesigned air bags. Further research is warranted to determine whether these differences remain in newer model vehicles designed to the advanced air bag rule, which took effect in 2003.

Keywords:

• Frontal Air Bags
• Effectiveness
• Fatalities and Injuries

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to thank the Blue Ribbon Panel members and observers, Jeff Augenstein, Don Bischoff, Tom Carr, Joseph Carra, Chip Chidester, Dainius Dalmotas, Ken Digges, Bella Dinh-Zarr, Dennis Durbin, Tim Hoyt, Kristin Poland, Vernon Roberts, Larry Schneider, Maria Segui-Gomez, and Bill Windsor, for all their hard work during the last several years in overseeing and evaluating frontal air bag performance. Thanks also are due to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, without whose support this effort would not have been possible. We also wish to thank the Blue Ribbon Panel Members who took the time to review the draft paper and for their thoughtful responses.