This rule will permit air bags to be depowered by 20 to 35 percent. Manufacturers are not required by the new rule to install depowered air bags in older cars. Each manufacturer will decide how to design and manufacturer new air bags for its vehicles to meet the new rule. There is an extremely high risk of severe injury or fatality in this situation, and a child should never be subjected to this risk. Even if the air bag is shut off or there is no air bag, the safest place for all children 12 and under is in the rear seat.
Many parents are concerned about having an infant rear-facing in the rear seat.
However, the American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that a healthy baby buckled correctly in a rear-facing infant seat is as safe as a baby placed in a crib for a nap or overnight sleep. The risk of serious injury in a crash is much greater than the risk of a healthy baby having a life threatening health problem during a car ride. If no rear seat is available in which to place a rear-facing infant seat, and another mode of transportation is available, use of that alternative should be considered. That is the safest place. If no option exists other than seating a young child in the front seat, several steps must be taken.