SURVEY OF PASSENGER AND DRIVER ATTITUDES IN AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT CRASHES

Passengers and drivers who were in crashes in which the passenger and driver airbags deployed were surveyed about their experiences. Overall , passengers and drivers were very positive about their experience, wi th the overwhelming majority reporting that they felt the airbags prot ected them from injury. Almost all of them said they would want airbag s int heir next car. Many respondents (about 20%) did not remember any thing particular about the event, but for those that did, smoke and od or were reported most often; and about 15% of passengers and 10% of dr ivers reported trouble with breathing or coughing after the deployment . There were some differences in the experiences of passengers and dri vers that may be related to differences in the way passengers and driv ers interact with the airbag. For example, passengers were more likely to report that their eyeglasses were broken or knocked off as a resul t of the deployment, although no injuries were reported. When asked wh ether they were injured in the crash, passengers were more likely to r eport, mostly minor, facial injuries; drivers more often reported inju ries to the upper extremities. (C) 1997 National Safety Council and El sevier Science Ltd.