The Air Bag Safety Campaign on Thursday sought to remind parents that infants and young children can be severely or even fatally injured by an air bag, which deploys at a high speed. Among parents of children age 1 or younger, awareness of air bag danger stands at 99 percent. Eleven percent of parents who own vehicles equipped with air bags put their child in the front seat. Parents are more likely to follow proper safety procedures as their infants get closer to 1 year old. One-quarter of all parents place infants ages 1 month to 3 months in the front seat, contrary to safety recommendations.
Younger parents are nearly twice as likely as older parents to improperly restrain infants.
Thirty-two percent of parents ages 18 to 24 place infants in the front seat. This number drops to 20 percent for parents ages 25 to 34, and 14 percent for parents age 35 and older. Parents with a high school education or less are more likely to place children in the front seat. Parents who live in the South are more likely to place infants in the front seat. Air Bag Information American Automobile Manufacturers Association Air Bag Safety Campaign National Automobile Dealers Association Insurance Institute for Highway Safety About Your Airbags External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.