PRELIMINARY REPORT: INITIAL ESTIMATES OF REDUCTIONS IN DEATHS IN FRONTAL CRASHES AMONG RIGHT FRONT PASSENGERS IN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH PASSENGER AIRBAGS

Statistical evidence on the overall effectiveness of passenger airbags has become extremely important because individual crash investigations show these restraints have caused the deaths of 24 children and infants and 1 elderly female passenger. This study assessed airbag effectiveness based on the location of damage to cars in which right front occupant fatalities occurred. Data were from the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) for 1992-95 model year cars with dual airbags and with driver airbags only that were in fatal crashes during the calendar period 1992-95. The method of analysis was similar to the location of damage analysis used earlier to assess driver airbag effectiveness. Analysis by passenger age shows that passenger airbags reduced fatalities among right front passengers ages 10-64 by 23% in frontal crashes. However, among children younger than 10, fatalities were about 33% higher than expected in frontal crashes. It is estimated that about 74 lives were saved by passenger airbags in 1992-95 model year cars in single- and two-vehicle crashes during the calendar period 1992-95. This is the net benefit, accounting for deaths prevented by airbags and deaths caused by airbags. During this same calendar period, 3 infant and 11 child deaths were attributed to airbags.