Airbags are a proven safety feature however it is it is not clear if caution is warranted for young children travelling in proximity to active airbags. RACV commissioned this research on behalf of our members to determine the safety risk associated with placing children in child restraints close to airbag systems. Current advice supports seating children in the rear up to twelve years of age and discourages placing rearward facing restraints in a front seating position. No known cases of injury or death to correctly restrained children from deploying side, thorax or knee airbags have been identified although fatalities have been reported of improperly restrained children from early airbag designs. The greatest risk to children is being unrestrained and improperly restrained as out of position children are at the highest risk of injury from deploying airbags. (Author/publisher)
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