CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION, SURVEY METHODS  

Background  

Even though passenger air bags have saved over 2,375 lives as of July 1, 2003, there are some people who should not be exposed to an air bag deployment....  “The agency recommends that newborn children be secured in a rear-facing child restraint system. Placing a rear-facing safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger air bag raises a safety concern.  This concern is that the deploying air bag might injure the infant, restrained in the child safety seat, when the air bag strikes the rear-facing child restraint.  An air bag must inflate quickly to create a protective cushion that protects occupants during frontal crashes.  The quickly deploying air bag strikes the back of the rear-facing child restraint with tremendous force, creating a situation whereby the infant might be injured.” [1]   In response to this safety concern, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a final rule in May 1995 (FMVSS No. 208 60 FR 27233) allowing manufacturers to install an on-off switch for the passenger air bag in vehicles that cannot accommodate a rear-facing child safety seat anywhere except in the front seat: e.g., pickup trucks and cars either with no rear seat or with rear seats too small to accommodate a rear-facing child restraint system.   

In November 1997, NHTSA issued another final rule (62 FR 62406) defining high-risk groups that should not be exposed to passenger air bags: infants in rear-facing child safety seats, children 12 years old and younger, and adults with certain medical conditions.  The rule enables owners of any passenger car, pickup truck, van, or sport utility vehicle to obtain an on-off switch for their passenger air bag if they must transport people in one of these high-risk groups in the front seat.  The benefits of these regulations are contingent on the correct use of the switches: that the air bag is turned off when a high-risk individual is seated behind it, and turned on at other times.  

NHTSA conducted a survey to investigate how pickup truck drivers are using the switches.  The main questions that the study sought to answer were how often the switches were off for child passengers and how often they were on for adult passengers.  The switches are primarily found in newer model year pickup trucks.  Passenger vehicles with aftermarket air bag on-off switches, plus other vehicles with original equipment on-off switches (such as Dodge Vipers and Dodge Cargo Ram vans), were not included in the survey because there were so few with on-off switches.   

Since the correctness of the switch setting depends on who is in the front seat at the moment, the survey was performed while the vehicles were occupied.  Unlike shoulder belt use surveys, the setting of the on-off switch cannot be observed from a distance; it was necessary to talk to people in stopped vehicles.     

Recommended Setting for On-Off Switches  

“In October 1992, NHTSA published a final report [2] describing child restraint/passenger side air bag interactions. … The agency concluded that rear-facing child restraints (infant or convertible) should not be used in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag.  Also, if a child in a forward-facing child restraint must be placed in the front seat, the seat should be moved as far rearward as possible.” [3]   Therefore, NHTSA recommends, a “rear-facing infant seat must never be placed in the front seat unless the [passenger side] air bag is turned off.” [4]   Thus, the passenger air bag should be turned off when a rear-facing child safety seat is in the front seat of a pickup truck.   

According to a 1997 NHTSA brochure on the switches, children ages 1 to 12 may be better off with an air bag on-off switch if they must be transported in the front seat in a vehicle with a passenger air bag.  The brochure went on to say that children ages 1 to 12 years old “can be transported safely in the front seat if they are properly belted, they do not lean forward, and their seat is moved all the way back.  The vast majority of all fatally injured children in this age range were completely unrestrained.  But children sometimes sit or lean far forward and may slip out of their shoulder belts, putting themselves at risk.  The simple act of leaning far forward to change the radio station can momentarily place even a belted child in danger.  If a vehicle owner must transport a child in the front seat, the owner is eligible for an on-off switch for the passenger air bag.  Since vehicle performance differs from vehicle model to vehicle model, the vehicle owner may wish to consult the vehicle manufacturer for additional advice.” [5]     

In 2003, the agency adopted a new policy for consumers on air bag on-off switches:  

If your vehicle has an air bag on-off switch for the passenger air bag, and you must transport
children aged 12 and under in the front passenger seat, turn the switch to the “air bag off” position.   

The 1997 brochure implied that children may be at increased risk for injury if exposed to an air bag, but did not tell consumers to turn the air bag off for children.  The new policy does advise consumers to turn the air bag off for children.  The agency would probably alter their guidance on the use of switches in vehicles equipped with advanced air bags, if these air bags function as intended.  But until that time, NHTSA is recommending that air bag on-off switches be turned off for children 12 and under.     

Adult passengers with unusual medical or physical conditions “who have been advised by a physician that an air bag poses a special risk to them because of their condition” [6] should turn the air bag off.  “However, they should not turn off their air bag unless their physician also has advised them that this risk is greater than what may happen if they do turn off their air bag.” [7]   The air bag should be turned on for all other adult passengers.  “This includes short people, tall people, older people, pregnant women – in fact, all people male or female over age 12, who buckle their seat belts and who can sit with 10 inches from the center of their breastbone to where the air bag is stored.” [8]   Thus, since very few adults will have medical or physical conditions that put them at risk, the passenger air bag should be turned on for almost all adult passengers in the right front seat of pickup trucks.   

In vehicles equipped with passenger air bag on-off switches, NHTSA’s safety standard (FMVSS 208, S 4.5.4.4) requires the vehicle owner’s manual to state that the on-off switch should only be used when a high-risk passenger is in any front passenger seating position.  Thus, owner’s manuals explicitly recommend turning off the air bag only if at-risk passengers such as children up to 12 years old are in any front seat position.  For example, the 1999 Chevrolet C/K pickup manual says, “The switch should only be turned to AIR BAG OFF if the person in the right front passenger’s position is a member of a passenger risk group identified by the national government as follows:  

Infant.
An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat because:

• My vehicle has no rear seat;
• My vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing infant seat; or
• The infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front seat so that the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.  

Child age 1 to 12.
A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat because:

• My vehicle has no rear seat;
• Although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of my vehicle; or
• The child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s physician, make it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so that the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.  

Medical Condition.
A passenger has a medical condition which, according to his or her physician:

• Causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk for the passenger; and
• Makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag in a crash greater than the potential harm from turning off the air bag and allowing the passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or windshield in a crash.” [9]  

Ford 1999 F-series owner’s manual states the air bag should only be off for the same three passenger risk groups and uses language very similar to Chevrolet 1999 C/K owner’s manual.  

Therefore, occupants may be at increased risk for injury if:

• The air bag is ON when a rear-facing child seat is in the right and/or center front seat;
• The air bag is ON when a child aged 1-12 is in the right and/or center front seat; and
• The air bag is OFF when an adult older than 12 is in the right front seat and there is no child or infant in the center front seat.    

Scope  

The survey was conducted in four States¾California, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas¾because they have the nation’s highest rates of newer light truck registrations and because they represent diverse geographic locations.  Data collection occurred in a mix of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties.  Table 1 indicates the counties where data were collected for the study.  

Table 1:  State, Counties and Type of County included in Survey  

The study was limited to late model pickup trucks equipped with a passenger air bag and, in most cases, an on-off switch to allow deactivation of the passenger air bag.  Passenger vehicles with aftermarket air bag on-off switches, plus other vehicles with original equipment on-off switches (such as Dodge Vipers and Dodge Cargo Ram Vans), were not included in the survey because there were so few with on-off switches.  Some vehicles included in the survey (but excluded from the analyses) may have had no switch because the vehicle has a full back seat.  Table 2 lists the manufacturer, model, and the first model year of the vehicles targeted in the study that had on-off switches.  All subsequent model years were included in the study.

Table 2a:  Crew Cab Truck Models with Passenger Air Bags but Not On-Off Switches  

25 - Drivers and right front infant passengers, less than a year old,           
700 - Drivers and right front child passengers, 1-12 years old,        
1,000 - Drivers and right front adult passengers, more than 12 years old, and    
1,000 - Drivers with no right front passengers.  

Drivers without a right front passenger were included in the survey because 1) they would be the most common type of driver and right front passenger combination and 2) the drivers could still give relevant information on their use of the passenger air bag on-off switch and their perceptions about air bags.  The survey would find out if and why they had the air bag turned off even when there was no one to protect; if and why they had previously turned the air bag off; and if they knew that air bags were dangerous to infants, children, and adults who could not sit more than 10 inches away from the air bag.  

Two-person data collection teams surveyed the pickup truck occupants.  One team member interviewed the drivers about the status of the on-off switch, their reasons for turning the switch on or off, and their opinions on the risks and benefits of air bags, and the age, height and weight of the front seat passengers.  They recorded this information on the Interview Record data form.  The other team member observed the make and model of the vehicle, number of seating positions and placement of occupants, availability and status of the on-off switch, and the restraint use, sex and race of any occupant.  They recorded this information on the Vehicle Record data form.  Appendix A has the Interview and Vehicle Record data forms.  

The data collection teams were trained during two 2-day training sessions held at the contractor’s office in Silver Spring, MD.  During the training sessions, data collection teams were given a detailed explanation of the study and their responsibilities as data collectors.  The teams practiced data collection procedures by role-playing with other training session participants.  The training sessions also provided opportunities to observe different truck models and on-off switches at an automobile dealership.  Lastly, data collectors visited sites in the suburban Maryland area to practice site selection and data collection techniques.  

The survey was conducted in parking lots of retail stores, community facilities, recreational/entertainment facilities, and vehicle maintenance facilities.  The teams identified sites through their knowledge of their assigned study area and reconnaissance.  The sites were selected based on the following criteria:

• Pickup truck volume. A comparatively large number of pickup trucks had to pass through a site, at the time of day that the team planned to conduct interviews.  
  
  
• Data collection location and safety.  For safety reasons, sites had to:  
  • Be located off-road
    
  • Have a stop sign where pickup trucks would come to a stop so that the data collectors could recruit drivers for the study
    
  • Have a low enough volume of vehicles (trucks and cars) so that traffic would not be unduly held up
    
  • Have a safe place for data collectors to stand with a good line-of-sight for oncoming vehicles
    
    
• Pickup truck passenger characteristics.  Highest priority was given to sites with the greatest likelihood that drivers would have passengers who were children. 

Our contractor established a contact with the Wal-Mart Foundation, who agreed to allow our surveyors to use Wal-Mart stores as data collection sites.  Data collection teams identified suitable Wal-Mart store locations, and this information was forwarded to the Wal-Mart Foundation, who communicated with individual stores to inform them of the effort.  Data collection teams were then given store manager names and contact information to make arrangements to conduct the survey.  For the other sites used in the survey, the data collection teams had to get permission from the site owner or manager to collect data at that site before they used the site.   

The data were collected at 79 different sites.  Table 3 shows type of sites by their frequency.  “Other retail stores” included home improvement centers, grocery stores, department stores, and other discount department stores.  “Community facilities” included parks, schools, day care centers, community centers, churches, and post offices.    “Recreation/entertainment facilities” included privately owned water parks, movie theatres, and bowling alleys.  “Vehicle maintenance facilities” included car washes and gas stations.   

Table 3:  Number and Type of Sites included in the Survey  

Data collection began on July 1, 2000, and ended on November 22, 2000.  Table 4 shows the number of surveys collected by team.  The Texas teams and the Muscogee County, GA team collected data throughout the 5-month period.  The California teams and Kent County, MI team collected data for 3 months.  Two of the teams (Cobb/Fulton Co. and Wayne/Oakland Co.) collected data for less than two weeks.  The Texas teams and the Muscogee County, GA team were the most successful teams.  They collected 69 percent of the data, but they collected 86 percent of the surveys that involved infant and child passengers (See Table 28).  

Table 4:  Number of Surveys Collected by Team    

No information was collected on drivers who refused to participate in the survey.  However, belt use by the participating drivers, adult passengers and child passengers was higher than the national average for occupants of pickup trucks.  This suggests that many of the drivers who refused to participate were probably not restrained.  But we have no idea how these drivers use on-off switches, so we cannot speculate on how this would affect the results of the survey.   

The sample is not a probability sample of counties in the United States.  Use of the switches could be different in other parts of the United States.  However, there do not appear to be any obvious demographic or institutional factors (e.g., laws) in these areas that would make use of the switches higher or lower than average.

¹ Final Regulatory Evaluation – FMVSS No. 208 Air Bag Cutoff Device, NHTSA, November 1996.
² Sullivan, Child Restraint/Passenger Air Bag Interaction Analysis, NHTSA, Report No. DOT HS 808 004, October 1992.
³ Final Regulatory Evaluation - FMVSS NO. 208 Air Bag Cutoff Device, NHTSA, November 1996.
⁴ Air Bags & On-Off Switches: Information for an Informed Decision, NHTSA, Report No. DOT HS 808 629, November 1997.
⁵ Report No. DOT HS 808 629
⁶ Report No. DOT HS 808 629
⁷ Air Bags & On-Off Switches: Information for an Informed Decision, NHTSA, Report No. DOT HS 808 629, November 1997.
⁸ Report No. DOT HS 808 629
⁹ Chevrolet C/K Full-Size Pickup, Owner manual, 1999.