air bag dangers - feet on dash?

Question

Is it dangerous to ride with feet on the dashboard when the car has passenger side air bags? What are the possible injuries?

Answer 1

No! Please don't ever, ever put your feet on the dash or let anyone else do it. I am so glad you asked and are willing to read the responses from those who had the care to respond to your question.

It is not safe for ANYONE to put feet on the dashboard, EVER.
If anything, the presence of airbags makes it MORE dangerous.
(More on this shortly.)

I know someone who had a leg shattered by an airbag. She was in a car accident that came out of the blue on a day with no weather problems, no heavy traffic, no nothing but one careless driver who didn't look before peeling out of a long driveway. Her husband had just a second or two to try to try to minimize impact--had he done nothing, their car would have t-boned the careless driver.

The first thing she remembers wondering is where her leg went--she thought it had been torn clear off. She describes it, sorry for the grossness of this, as having been wrapped behind her neck with her foot dangling on her chest.

The irony here is that while the airbag may have saved her life, it is also what placed her leg in back of her neck, not just shattering her leg, but pulverizing two inches of the femur to dust. After a nearly 32 or 33 hour wait for surgery at a hospital hours away from where the accident occurred, her leg was rebuilt with bone grafts, wire, plates, and screws. Blood transfusions were needed because she lost so much blood. She was in the hospital for weeks and needed intensive rehab (inpatient) followed by years of outpatient physical therapy, use of wheelchair & walker, and had to learn how to walk again.
The surgery and recovery were pretty complex--the bone grafts were not just used to rebuild her leg, but to also grow a new chunk of bone so that one leg would not be noticeably shorter than the other. She had to grow new bone to replace what was lost.

She is left with a scar well OVER 15 inches from the 41 staples that were used after the surgery. Several years after the accident she can walk quite well on even, non-slippery surfaces, often without a limp. The swelling has gone down about as much as it's going to go, she has residual pain, limitations, and deficits. Her knee does not function as needed for running, so she can't run. She now has to deal with arthritis in the knee and eventual knee replacement surgery. Since she is not that old, and knee replacement only sometimes only lasts 10-15 years, she is looking at possibly needing this surgery multiple times in her life.

The accident did other damage to her body as well, but the leg injury was the most serious. It also put an enormous strain on her family, her friendships, her work, her enjoyment of life.

Not only should you NEVER put your feet up on the dash, if you are less than 5' 5" you should have whichever front seat, driver or passenger, moved as far back as you can go. Drivers who are less than 5'5" should put their seat back as far as they can and still safely work gas, break & clutch.

This also goes for the front seat passengers who like to stick their feet out the window in the summer in pursuit of that perfect tan. Having seen what her leg looked like in the hospital, I look at them race by me in the fast lane and just cringe. I wish I could pull them over and show them pictures of her leg after the surgery.

Your last question is about possible injuries, and I told you what happened to my friend. In the moments after the accident, she feared she had lost her leg. What she didn't think to worry about, and what I didn't tell you is that there is a major artery in the leg, the femoral artery, that is very important. Depending on how it is damaged, whether the bleeding occurs internally or externally, there is only a certain amount of time one has before you bleed to death. She is not just lucky to have her leg and some use of it, she is lucky to be alive.

This story also serves as an example of how one can be an excellent, defensive driver and still bad things can happen. At best, a good driver can really only hope to control his or her own vehicle. What no driver can control are the actions and behaviors of other drivers--their impulsive moves, poor choices, careless mistakes, and bad decisions.

Please do not put your feet on the dash, and please tell others not to. Thank you for reading this, and feel free to share this with others if you wish.

Answer 2

Here are some airbag facts go to http://nhtsa.dot.gov for more information:

Air bags must inflate very rapidly to be effective, and therefore come out of the steering wheel hub or instrument panel with considerable force, generally at a speed over 100 mph.

More serious injuries are rare; however, serious or even fatal injuries can occur when someone is very close to, or in direct contact with an air bag module when the air bag deploys.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends drivers sit with at least 10 inches between the center of their breastbone and the center of the steering wheel. Children 12 and under should always ride properly restrained in a rear seat. Never put a rear-facing infant restraint in the front seat of a vehicle with a front passenger air bag. A rear-facing infant restraint places an infant's head close to the air bag module, which can cause severe head injuries or death if the air bag deploys.

Answer 3

My father broke his finger as a result of having his thumbs wrapped around the steering wheel when his driver's airbag deployed. If you are a passenger in a vehicle, and rest your feet on the dash, you run the risk of having your feet and legs pushed through the windshield and then back up against your shoulders snapping your spine. You can also be thrown forward out and under your seatbelt causing you more injury......never mind the airbags damages! There are two stage airbags now, which deploy at a very high rate of speed at first, and then slow down...........

Answer 4

Very dangerous... even if there isn't an airbag! One thing may people don't know about airbags is that the bag is deployed by a low grade explosive. Thiefs in Dallas were stealing the explosives to make makeshift grenades a few years back. Having had friends whose airbags deployed, they all say that it is very sudden and forceful. If your body is not positioned right, it will cause more harm than not.

Answer 5

would not be good. I was in a pretty bad wreck and we hit a concrete wall and I was the passenger and the air bag came out...I seen the wall coming so I put my hands out on the airbag and it broke my right ring finger...Hurt bad..The Dr's said it could have been worse..could of broke my arm...When it was happening I did not even think about the air bag coming out..but ever since then, I do and I want let anyone put their feet up there or anything.

Answer 6

Point to ponder...

You're riding along with your feet on the dash. Driver taps someone from the rear at, oh, 8 mph. Airbag deploys...at about 140 mph.

Guess where your knees are going to end up?

Answer 7

airbag deployment +feet on dash= feet up nose

Answer 8

no, never put your feet on the dashboard!!! it's VERY dangerous in case you get in an accident.

Answer 9

It could probably cause a broken leg if they dont push your knees into your face first.

Answer 10

I think the answer to that question would be self evident?