Report says Iowa doing well in preventing airbag deaths

A national report finds a dramatic reduction in injuries and deaths caused by airbags in recent years. Phil Haseltine, president of the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety In Arlington, Virginia, says Iowa’s record on airbags is particularly admirable.No children have been reported killed by airbags in Iowa, no drivers killed, and only one adult passenger killed. Of 191 reported deaths due to airbags nationwide, that leaves just one in Iowa. Haseltine says the Hawkeye State’s record is nearly flawless.One thing Iowa has going for it is a relatively high seat belt use rate, which for the past two years has been 78-percent. Haseltine says Iowa’s roadway death report is also better than many states.Nationwide, a National Safety Council study found a 90-percent drop in child deaths from airbags between 1996 and 2000. Haseltine attributes that to a stunning shift in how adults report securing children in cars. Only ten-percent of drivers with passenger airbags say they let children under 12 ride in the front seat.