Using Airbags Without Seat Belts Increases Risk of Spinal Cord Injury

The National Safety Council reports that significant cervical spine injuries can result from car crashes occurring at speeds as low as 5 miles an hour and that result in little or no damage to the car itself. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh, the risk of injury increases when airbags are deployed during a crash and the driver and passengers aren’t wearing seat belts.

The cervical spine is the seven vertebrae of the spinal cord that comprise the neck. It can be damaged when it is compressed against the shoulders during a collision or when the head is violently jerked either backwards or forwards, causing injuries to the muscles and ligaments of the neck. The resulting neck sprain is commonly referred to as whiplash.

The research team, lead by Dr. William F. Donaldson III, used data gathered from a Pennsylvania trauma database to identify crashes resulting in spinal cord injuries from 1990 to 2002. They examined approximately 12,700 spinal injury patient records and of these, 5,500 were identified as either drivers or passengers who experienced fractures of the cervical spine.

After studying the cervical spine injury records, researchers found that drivers who were not wearing a seatbelt had a 54 percent rate of cervical spine fractures. However, drivers who used both an airbag and seatbelt had only a 42 percent rate of injury. After adjusting for other factors, the relative risk of cervical spine fracture was 70 percent higher for drivers using an airbag alone compared to drivers who used an airbag and seat belt.

The risk of cervical fracture was approximately seven times higher for passengers who used only an airbag. For both drivers and passengers, men were more likely than women to be injured when using an airbag alone.

Another important discovery the researchers made was that drivers and passengers who used an airbag alone were more severely injured than those who used both. They also spent more time in the intensive care unit and more total time in the hospital.

The results of the study indicate that drivers and passengers who use airbags without seatbelts have a higher rate of cervical spine fractures and have more severe injuries, including injuries to the chest, abdomen, and head. Dr. Donaldson and his team concluded that using a seatbelt with an airbag and maintaining at least 10 inches between the steering column and the sternum may decrease the severity of injuries in general, in addition to reducing the instances of airbag induced cervical spine injuries.

Don’t Be Tripped Up By an Overload: Use Electricity Wisely

Hidden among the many benefits of electricity are an equal amount of hazards.   The valuable resource that makes our lives run so smoothly can be dangerous if not treated with the utmost respect when it comes to safety.  It’s estimated that 40,000 residential fires each year are caused by faulty electrical systems or just general misuse of the system.1 Electrical systems become dangerous when circuits are constantly being overloaded.  Regularly taxing a circuit can eventually wear it out, causing it to overheat and possibly start an electrical fire. 

In most homes, electrical circuits are designed with the anticipated electrical load in mind.  Each circuit can only handle a specific amount of wattage so it is helpful to know the wattage each appliance or device in your home uses.  For example a hairdryer can draw about 1400 watts and a vacuum cleaner about 600 watts.

Problems can occur when too many appliances are plugged into the same circuit.   If the circuit overloads it will trip and shut off the flow of electricity.  When a fuse or circuit breaker trips, it is important to find the exact cause of the short and have it repaired.  It can be potentially hazardous to merely replace the fuse or flip the breaker switch without determining the cause.

Another potential danger is in the misuse of extension cords.  People often will use an extension cord with an adaptor to plug many devices into a single outlet, which could overload the circuit.  An extension cord should be used as a temporary measure not a permanent solution.  If more outlets are required in a certain area, have a professional electrician install them.

Additional safety measures you can implement include:

  • During home remodeling always use a licensed electrician for any additions of electrical circuits.
  • Use ground fault interrupters on circuits in bathrooms and around wet or damp areas.
  • Extension cords should be three-pronged. They should be kept away from high traffic areas and never be placed under carpets.
  • Using power strips with their own circuit breaker protection offers better protection when using multiple appliances or electronics.

Finally, it is important to ensure that each breaker or fuse clearly identifies the appliance serviced by that circuit and that the breaker box is accessible at all times. You should also know where to locate the main trip switch that shuts down power to your house.  In an emergency situation, you may not have time to find the right switch.

 


[1] “1997 Residential Fire Loss Estimates”, Consumer Product Safety Commission.