Since the late 1990s, driver and front passenger airbags have been required safety features in all cars – and they definitely save lives.
Airbags aren’t perfect, however. Despite their role in vehicle safety, airbags can also cause injuries to unlucky drivers and their passengers under certain circumstances.
Why do airbag injuries happen?
There are a variety of reasons that airbags can cause injuries, including:
- Design flaws: Airbags were largely designed with men in mind. Only recently have female crash-test dummies been used, and they are not mandatory for testing. Women are injured far more often and more seriously than men in wrecks, partially because airbags are not designed with their bodies in mind.
- Malfunction: Sometimes an airbag doesn’t open when it’s supposed to open in a crash. Other times, airbags will deploy when the vehicle is barely tapped – which they are not supposed to do. The force of deployment can end up causing serious injuries.
- Installation issues: Incorrect installation of airbags at a dealership or repair shop can compromise their effectiveness and increase the risk that someone will get injured when the airbags are deployed.
There are also numerous possible injuries associated with airbags. Their rapid deployment can cause injuries to a driver’s or passenger’s face, neck, chest and arms. Eye injuries, including corneal abrasions and retinal detachments, are common. Some victims also experience damage to their inner ears, leaving them with tinnitus or permanent hearing loss.
If you’ve been injured in a wreck and your injuries were at least partially caused by the airbag, you may want to consider legal guidance. You may be able to hold more than just the other driver accountable for your losses.