Welcome  to  Public  Health  moment from  the  University  of  Minnesota. About  40,000  Americans  die each  year  from  injuries sustained  in  motor  vehicle  accidents. As  the  summer  vacation  season  begins, families  should  be  mindful  of the  importance  of  seat  belts, as  well  as  the  benefits  and  potential  dangers  of  airbags. That's  according  to  Tobin  Nelson, a  University  of  Minnesota  epidemiologist. I  think  there's  been  a  lot  of interest  in  the  public  health  community  in preventing  deaths  and  injuries that  result  from  motor  vehicle  crashes. Airbags  resulted  from  people's  unwillingness to  wear  their  seat  belts  and  trying  to think  of  an  engineering  solution  that  would really  help  protect  people who  were  unwilling  to  buckle  up. Airbags  have  been  credited  with saving  about  14,000  lives. But  Nelson  adds  that  studies  have  shown  them  to  be dangerous  for  children  and  adults  of  short  stature. But  there  are  some  things  that  you can  do  to  reduce  those  risks. One  important  recommendation  is  to place  children  under  the  age  of  12  in the  back  seat  and  ensure  that they're  secure  in  an  approved  child  safety  seat. Another  thing  is  to  make sure  drivers  are  positioned  at  least  12 "  away  from  the  driver's  side  airbag with  another  public  health  moment. I'm  John  Finnegan.