Insurance Insights ~ July 1999

Kids and Airbags

by Maria Figueiredo, Souderton office

Inflating in a fraction of a second immediately after a serious crash begins, airbags become an energy-absorbing buffer between people and the hard interior surfaces of vehicles. Airbags mounted in the steering wheel and the right front instrument panel are designed to protect people in serious frontal crashes. As of the 1999 model year, the federal government required automakers to install driver and passenger airbags for frontal protection in all cars.

Airbags are a success. They’ve inflated in millions of crashes, saved thousands of lives, and prevented many more serious injuries. But, like some medications and other public health successes, airbags can cause unintended adverse effects. Some injuries are serious, and they include some deaths. The energy required to inflate airbags can injure people when someone is on top of, or very close to, an airbag as it begins inflating. Infants in rear-facing restraints and unbelted or unrestrained children in the front seats of vehicles with passenger-side airbags are at the greatest risk.

Children should always be put in the back and use appropriate restraints for youngsters, as the law requires in all 50 states.

Proper restraint comes first. Riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in a motor vehicle always has been the greatest hazard for children. The safest place for kids to ride is in the back. This was true before airbags, and now it’s doubly true. Infants and children riding in back seats are much safer as they will be out of the path of inflating airbags.

Information for this article was taken from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Teen Driving Update

Getting behind the wheel of a car involves a great deal of responsibility, and current teenage statistics illustrate just how important it is take driving an auto seriously!

In an effort to make certain that young drivers take to the road with an understanding of the rules of the road and gain positive driving experience, some new rules have been passed in Pennsylvania.

• The law now requires teen drivers to have at least 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, certified by a parent or guardian, before they can take the road test for a regular license.
• A learner’s permit will now be valid for 1 year, and permit holders will have to wait at least 6 months before taking their driving test
• Junior license holders will receive a regular license only after 12 months of driving without an at-fault accident or citatio
• Restricted driving hours do not allow junior license holders to operate a vehicle between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am.

Everyone’s goal is to make certain that teenagers are equipped to handle any situation that comes up while operating a vehicle. Hopefully, these graduated licensing steps will help prevent our young people from becoming the next statistic!

INSURANCE INSIGHTS is an electronic newsletter published monthly by G. C. Weimer Associates, Inc. Information contained herein is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief as of 7/1/99. If you have a topic of interest for a future issue, e-mail us at info@gcwinsure.com.