Vienna - Car passengers sitting in a reclining position with their legs resting on the dashboard could be seriously injured by the airbag in a crash, the Austrian motoring organisation (OeAMTC) has warned. In crash tests conducted by the organization, the airbag in the cubby hole pressed the legs and feet of a dummy onto the windscreen with full force and one of the feet went straight through the glass.
The airbag could not deflate fully as the legs were resting on the dashboard. Passengers stood no chance of pulling back their legs because the airbag is triggered in milliseconds, the organization warned.
In addition, the safety belt cut deep into the belly of the dummy passenger, the OeAMTC said warning that a wrong seating position in a vehicle could cause serious injury and even death in a crash.
Ideally both driver and passenger should sit upright in the car with the safety belt running over the clavicle. The headrest should be adjusted in such a way that it is level with the top of the head.
