The purpose of air bags is to prevent serious injury of occupants involved in vehicular accidents. Although lives have been saved by air bags, certain subpopulations have a greater risk for personal injury or death; namely, children and small-stature adults. The present research had two parts. The first was a survey in which participants were asked the minimum recommended age limit for children in the front seat according to the visor warning in vehicles with passenger-side air bags. The results indicated that on average minimum age reported by participants (M = 8.8 yrs, SD= 3.4) is significantly lower than the recommended age of 13, t(244) =-23.94, p < .0001. The second part was a field study that evaluated whether young children were (a) located in the front seat of vehicles equipped with passenger-side air bags, and (b) if the occupants of the vehicle wore their seat belts. The results indicate that 16% (n = 24) of the children being dropped off or picked up at an elementary school rode in the front seat of vehicles equipped with passenger-side air bags. Also, 11% (n = 16) of the drivers and 27% (n = 56) of the children were not wearing seat belts. Implications of the study with respect to warnings are discussed.
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