Air bags save thousands of lives each year, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In frontal crashes, air bags reduce deaths among drivers by about 30 percent and among passengers by 27 percent.

Air bags, however, can be dangerous. If small children sit unbelted in the front seat, they can be catapulted into the path of a deploying air bag, which inflates with great force. This risk also applies to small adults—who must sit close to the steering wheel in order to reach the pedals—pregnant women and the elderly. Infants in rear-facing safety seats on the passenger side can be severely injured because their heads are in the direct path of an inflating air bag. If your airbag is stolen or it deploys, you must get a new one, but you will be reimbursed under the comprehensive portion of your auto insurance policy.

Preventing air bag injuries

Drivers should have all children sit in the backseat wearing a safety belt. Infants should be placed in rear-facing car seats and put in the backseat. Small adults should move the seat back so that their breastbone is at least 10 inches from the air bag cover.

If this is not possible, air bag switches can be installed so that the vehicle owner has the option of turning the bag off or on, depending on the situation. In January 1998, NHTSA allowed auto dealers and repair shops to begin installing air bag cut-off switches. Before the switch can be installed, vehicle owners must complete a four-step process:

1. Obtain an information brochure and request form from NHTSA, dealerships or repair shops

2. Return the form to NHTSA

3. Receive authorization from NHTSA after it reviews the case

4. Take the vehicle to the service shop along with the authorization from NHTSA which certifies that the owner has read the brochure and met one of the four eligibility classifications:

• rear-facing infant seat can be in the front (necessary if the vehicle has no back-seat)
• driver's seat cannot be adjusted to keep more than 10 inches between the driver and the steering wheel
• putting a child 12 or under in the front seat can not be avoided
• having a medical condition that puts them at risk of injury when an air bag deploys.

Knowing what to do if you are involved in an accident can save lives and also make the claims process easier.

1. Stop your car and find out if anyone is injured.

2. Call the police or highway patrol. Tell them how many people were hurt and the types of injuries. The police will notify the nearest medical unit.

3. Cover injured people with a blanket to keep them warm.

4. Try to protect the accident scene. Take reasonable steps to protect your car from further damage, such as setting up flares, getting the car off the road and calling a tow truck.

5. Ask the investigating officer where you can obtain a copy of the police report. You will probably need it when you submit your claim to your insurance company.

6. If necessary, have the car towed to a repair shop. But remember, your insurance company probably will want to have an adjuster inspect it and appraise the damage before you order repair work done.

7. Make notes. Keep a pad and pencil in your glove compartment. Write down:

• the names and addresses of all drivers and passengers involved in the accident
• license plate numbers
• the make and model of each car
• driver's license numbers
• insurance identifications
• the names and addresses of witnesses
• the names and badge numbers of police officers or other emergency personnel.

8. If you run into an unattended vehicle or object, try to find the owner. If you can't, leave a note containing your name, address and phone number. Record the details of the accident.

If you have children it's important to make sure they are secured properly when you drive with them. They are almost always safer when riding in the back, in a car seat that is appropriate to their age and weight.

Using a car seat correctly can prevent injuries, but wrong usage is very common. Even a small mistake in how the seat is used can cause serious injury in a crash.

Tips to ensure you are using a child car seat correctly

1. Never put an infant in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger air bag.

2. Route harness straps in lower slots at or below shoulder level.

3. Keep harness straps snug and fasten the clip at armpit level.

4. Make sure the straps lie flat and are not twisted.

5. Dress your baby in clothes that allow the straps to go between the legs. Adjust the straps to allow for the thickness of your child’s clothes. Do not use bulky clothes that could increase slack in a crash.

6. To keep your newborn from slouching, pad the sides of the seat and between the child’s legs with rolled up up diapers or receiving blankets.

7. Put the car seat carrying handle down when in the car.
8. Infants must ride in the back seat facing the rear of the car. This offers the best protection for your infant’s neck.

9. Recline the rear-facing seat at a 45-degree angle. If your child’s head flops forward, the seat may not have reclined enough. Tilt the seat back until it is level by wedging firm padding such as a rolled towel, under the front of the base of the seat.

10. All new car seats are now required to come equipped with top tether straps. A tether strap is a belt that is attached to the car seat and bolted to the window ledge or the floor of the car. They give extra protection and keep the car seat from being thrown forward in a crash. Tether kits are also available for most older car seats. Check with the manufacturer to find out how to get a top tether for your seat. Install it according to instructions. The tether strap may help make some seats that are difficult to install fit more tightly.

Do not use a car seat if any of the following apply.

1. It is too old. Look on the label for the date it was made. If made before January 1981, the seat may not meet strict safety standards and its parts are too old to be safe. Some manufacturers recommend using seats for only 6 years.

2. It does not have a label with the date of manufacture and model number. Without these, you cannot check on recalls.

3. It has been in a crash. If so, it may have been weakened and should not be used, even if it looks all right.

4. It does not come with instructions. You the instructions to know how to install and use the car seat properly. Do not rely on the former owner’s instructions. Get a copy of the manual from the manufacturer.

5. It has cracks in the frame of the seat.

6. It is missing parts. Used seats often come without important parts. Check with the manufacturer to make sure you can get the right parts.

To find out if your child safety seat has been recalled, you can call the Auto Safety Hotline ( 888-DASH-2-DOT ). If the seat has been recalled, be sure to follow the instructions for the recall or to get the necessary parts. You should also get a registration card for future recall notices from the Hotline.

For more information about infant or toddler car seats, go to the Web site of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at ( http://www.highwaysafety.org ). Also check out the National SafeKids Campaign ( http://www.safekids.org ) which offers a free Child Car Seat Locator which allows you to enter your child’s age and weight, and get back a list of recommended car seats. Another good source of information on car seats is the American Academy of Pediatrics website ( http://www.aap.org/family/ ), which offers a detailed shopping guide to car seats.

Is your child ready for a regular seat belt?

Keep your child in a car seat for as long as possible. When he or she is big enough, make sure that seat belts in your car fit your child correctly. The shoulder belt should lie across the shoulder, not the neck or throat. The lap belt must be low and flat across the hips, not the stomach. The child’s knees should bend easily over the edge of the vehicle seat. Seat belts are made for adults. If the seat belt does not fit your child correctly, he or she should stay in a booster seat until the belt fits.

Never tuck the shoulder belt under the child’s arm or behind their back.

Use lap belts only as a last resort. Try to get a lap-shoulder belt installed in your car if it doesn’t already have one. If you must use a lap belt, make sure it is worn tight and low on the hips, not across the stomach.

Thousands of unsuspecting motorists are carjacked every year.

To minimize the danger of being carjacked:

1. Think of saving your life first. Only then, think of your car and what's in it.

2. If another car bumps your car, stay inside with the windows shut and the door locked and drive to the nearest police or fire station.

3. Don’t stop at isolated pay phones, cash machines or newspaper machines where you could become a carjacking victim.

4. Stay alert to people lurking near or moving toward your parked car.

5. Always keep the windows of your car shut and doors locked, whether you’re in or out of your car.

6. Park only in well-lighted areas.

To prevent your car from being stolen:

1. Keep your registration card in your wallet instead of your glove compartment.

2. Use paint or an indelible marker to put the vehicle identification number (VIN) under the engine hood and trunk lid and on the battery. This number is usually found on the dashboard on the driver’s side of the car.

3. If you have to leave personal property in your car, leave it in the trunk.

4. Keep your car in a garage and lock the garage door.

5. Use a security device like a steering wheel lock or a gear shift column lock.

If your car is stolen, have the following information ready to give to the police:

1. The year, make, model and color of the car.

2. The approximate time the car was stolen.

3. A description of anyone you may have seen loitering around your car before it was stolen.

4. The names of any witnesses.

If your teenager has just gotten a driver's license, it may be hard to imagine handing over the keys to your brand new car, but that may be the smartest vehicle to choose.

The first years teenagers spend as drivers are very risky. In fact, teen drivers have the highest death rates of any age group. In 1997 alone, more than 5,700 teenagers died in motor vehicle crashes, and many more were left severely and permanently injured by crashes.

While getting a driver's license is an exciting rite-of-passage for teens, it can be enough to make a parent frantic. However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) say there is something worried parents can do to protect their teens—choose a safe vehicle.

• Avoid vehicles that encourage reckless driving.
  Teen drivers not only lack experience, but may also lack maturity. As a result, speeding and reckless driving are common.
  
  Sports cars and other vehicles with high performance features, such as turbocharging, are likely to encourage speeding. Choosing a vehicle with a more sedate image will reduce the chances your teen will be in a speed-related crash.
  
• Don't let your teen drive an unstable vehicle.
  Sport utility vehicles, especially the smaller ones, are inherently less stable than cars because of their higher centers of gravity. Abrupt steering maneuvers—the kind that can occur when teens are fooling around or over-correcting a driver error—can cause rollovers where a more stable car would, at worst, skid or spin out.
  
• Pick a vehicle that offers good crash protection.
  Teenagers should drive vehicles that offer state-of-the-art protection in case they do crash.
  
• Don't let your teen drive a small vehicle.
  Small vehicles offer much less protection in crashes than larger ones. However, this doesn't mean you should put your child in the largest vehicle you can find. Many mid- and full-size cars offer more than adequate crash protection. Check out the safety ratings for mid-size and larger cars.
  
• Avoid older vehicles.
  Most of today's cars are better designed for crash protection than cars of six to ten years ago. For example, a newer, mid-size car with airbags would be a better choice than an older, larger car without airbags. Before you make a final choice on the car your teenager will drive, consult the U.S. Department of Transportation ( http://www.dot.gov ) or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
  ( http://www.iihs.org ).