FACTORS ENTER INTO AIR-BAG USE, SAYS OFFICIAL

Common courtesy and common sense go a long way in preventing accidents, injuries and deaths, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration representative told members of the Cape Girardeau Safe Communities Thursday.

Lt. David Shaul, who is on loan from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to NHTSA for one year, visited Southeast Missouri to deliver his message of road safety. Two specific areas he addressed were recent air-bag rule changes and aggressive driving, commonly called road rage.

On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation announced changes in air-bag rules that will allow certain motorists to install on-off switches for their vehicle air bags.

Shaul said people wanting to turn off air bags in their cars should make informed decisions based on the facts rather than be swayed by reports of occasional deaths caused by the bags.

As of Nov. 1, 1.8 million air bags have deployed nationwide this year, saving 2,620 lives, Shaul said.

"There is no way to predict how much injury was prevented or reduced because of air bags," he said.

In comparison, 87 people -- 49 children and 38 adults -- have died as a result of air bags. Of the 49 children, 30 were not wearing seat belts, four were only partially belted, three were belted but should have been in booster seats, and 12 were in rear-facing infant seats that leave only a couple of inches in the deployment zone.

Air bags, which deploy at a rate of 200 mph or 300 feet per second, require a 10-inch deployment zone to be both effective and safe, Shaul said.

Of the 38 adults who died, only 11 were wearing seat belts. The others were seated too close to the deployment zone.

"Air bags are never a substitute for seat belts," Shaul said.

"If we review all the deaths (associated with air bags), we will see that proper seat-belt usage and position will prevent fatalities," he said.

The rule changes announced Tuesday allow for the on-off switch installation only in those cars where children must sit in the front seat because of carpooling, medical problems that require monitoring or a lack of a back seat in the vehicle. Shorter drivers who sit within the 10-inch deployment zone may also apply for the on-off switch.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children 12 or younger sit in the back seat, that all passengers wear seat belts and that a child never be allowed to sit in someone's lap, Shaul said.

If common sense is important in preventing air-bag-related injuries or death, common courtesy is important to reducing roadway aggression, Shaul said.

"There are more vehicles on the road, but not many more roads. That means more traffic on the same amount of roadways, which means more accidents and delays," he said.

Aggressive driving, or road rage, is often the result of the increased stress of driving on crowded highways, and can be reduced if drivers become more tolerant of other drivers, Shaul said. It can also be reduced if drivers stop dangerous driving habits such as tailgating, speeding, cutting in and out of traffic and slamming on brakes, he said.

Estimates show that nationwide aggressive driving is responsible for nearly one-third of highway accidents and two-thirds of resulting deaths.

On Monday, the Highway Patrol and the state Department of Public Safety announced plans to crack down on aggressive drivers with tougher enforcement.

Shaul said he was not aware of any new legislation that will help combat road rage. But he said most examples of road rage are already covered by existing laws.

The more aggressive enforcement will help reduce more aggressive driving, he said.