Most of us have (or will) take a long road trip at some point. A common practice for the front seat passenger is to relax, recline their seat and put their feet on the dashboard. Seems comfortable and safe enough, right? Wrong! An airbag, normally considered a safety feature, deploys between 100 & 220 MPH. If you are a passenger with your feet on the dashboard and the car is involved in a crash, there are several injuries that could occur. First and foremost, because your feet are on top of the airbag compartment, your knees will be bent in an upwards motion and the extreme force of the airbag could push them into your face causing possible injury to your eyes and could also break your nose, cheek bones and jaw. That’s only the facial injuries you could sustain. Your feet and ankles could break because of the force of the airbag throwing your legs backwards.
Over the past few years, several stories about significant injury producing experiences have circulated from passengers injured when their airbag deployed and they had their feet on the dashboard. Each unfortunately had many surgeries following the accident; completely changing their lives. The only way to prevent this from happening is to keep your feet planted in front of you on the floor and off the dashboard.
During long road trips, passengers have a tendency to get in a comfortable position and forget about the dangers of the airbag in front of them. Wearing a seatbelt is at the top of the safety list, but keeping your feet on the floor should be a top priority as well. We at Rader Law Group hope that you will share this information with the people you love to prevent this from happening to others.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, call Rader Law Group at (954) 913-CASE (2273) or visit us at www.RaderLawGroup.com. We’re happy to answer your questions and the consultation is free.