Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the interaction of air bags and children in actual crash scenarios. Investigations were conducted as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Special Crash Investigation Programme. A case series is presented of more than twenty serious or fatal injuries in children attributed to air bag deployment. Cases of children whose lives were saved by air bags, the "success stories," were not included in the series because these cases were not reported to the NHTSA. Analysis of the investigations included determination of vehicle dynamics, occupant kinematics, and injury patterns in order to define injury mechanisms.