Car safety-air bags and seat belts

Abstract

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 air bags, says Toben Nelson, a University of Minnesota epidemiologist. <Clip: “I think there’s been a lot of interest…help protect people who were unwilling to buckle up.”> Air bags 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. <Clip: “But there are some things that you can do…driver’s side air bag.”> With another Public Health Moment, I’m John Finnegan.