Some vehicles have sensors in specially designed restraints and passenger seats that detect rear-facing infant restraints and automatically switch off airbags on the passenger side. Another exception is if there's a switch to turn off the passenger bag. A few vehicles in the 2001 model year have technology that will detect the presence of an infant seat and turn off the airbag. The forces of the inflating airbag against the back of the restraint can cause serious, even fatal, head injuries. Like infant restraints, these should be attached to the back seat with an adult safety belt.
Some carmakers offer built-in child restraints in the rear.
Only if an adult is transporting too many children to put them all in back should a child ride up front. Leaning forward to, for example, fiddle with radio dials can put a child at risk from an inflating airbag. If you get a switch, remember to use it correctly and turn off the airbag when an infant or child must ride in front. Short drivers and elderly ones can be especially vulnerable to inflation injuries not because of their size or age but because they sit very close to the steering wheel. However, most drivers, even short ones, can get 10 inches back from the center of the steering wheel and still reach the pedals.