Short, Tall Passengers at Risk From Airbags

A new study being released tomorrow at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine says that extremely short and tall people are more at risk from airbags than protected by them. This is the first time there has been evidence that height plays a factor in car accidents.

The results were culled from 67,284 drivers and front passengers involved in car crashes over more than 11 years. It concluded that people shorter than 4 feet 11 inches and taller than 6 feet 3 inches were harmed by airbags. Weight was not a factor in injuries, according to the report. The one flaw with the report is that it doesn’t state how many of the injuries were in cars with newer “smart” airbags, and if they do a better job of protecting those of different height.

A separate study also being presented at this meeting states that young women are engaging in risky behavior behind the wheel. Between 1995 and 2004, the number of young women dying in alcohol-related accidents rose, while it decreased for young men.

Air Bags Dangerous for Tall, Small People: Study (Yahoo News)