The purpose of this paper is to outline several misconceptions that result from differences between the consumer's understanding of air bag systems, including their content, function and performance, and the actual system operation and field performance of air bag systems. The safety community faces the challenge of recognizing and helping to dispel erroneous information. Field investigation remains critical to both the automotive industry and the research community's understanding of real-world occupant restraint system performance. Field experience has suggested that the combination of properly used seat belts and supplemental air bags can provide the greatest overall risk reduction. The value of field collision investigations is also discussed.
Samenvatting