MINISTER URGES MOTORISTS TO ADOPT AIRBAG PROTECTION

Motorists are being urged to buy cars fitted with airbags, which can halve the chances of suffering a serious head injury in a crash, Minister for Transport and Main Roads Vaughan Johnson urged today.

Mr Johnson said recent research which questioned the effectiveness of airbags was based on United States data which was not appropriately comparable to Australian conditions.

"In the United States, seatbelts are not compulsory and airbags are set up to operate much more invasively," said Mr Johnson.

"Therefore, it is inappropriate to use this foreign information to question the effectiveness of airbags in Australian cars, because they are set up to operate entirely differently."

The Minister said while a seatbelt remained the primary restraint for a vehicle's occupants, the National Car Assessment Program (NCAP) research had proven that airbags further reduced the chances of injury in a crash.

"Head injuries are the major cause of death and serious injury in car crashes, and while broken bones heal, a serious head or brain injury can be permanent.

"In less than the blink of an eye, the airbag deploys before your head hits the dash or steering wheel.

"As part of the overall motor vehicle safety system, airbags are now acknowledged as an important contributor to increased passenger protection," he said.

Mr Johnson said Queensland Transport was a leading agency in promoting motor vehicle safety and had been a contributor to the Australian New Car Assessment crash testing Program since it began.

The Minister said Australian car manufacturers had adopted airbags as an important safety feature and many offered vehicles with airbags as part of package deals.

"Driver's airbags are now in 25 per cent of new passenger cars sold in Australia, they are popular fleet purchases, and are optional features in most small cars and four-wheel-drives," he said.

Mr Johnson warned Queenslanders not to be put off airbags by recent reports from the United States that airbags may pose a safety risk.

"In these reports, fatalities involved passengers who were unrestrained, or children who were inappropriately restrained or sitting too close to the airbag in the front passenger seat."

Mr Johnson said the airbag system in Australia was designed as a supplementary restraint system (SRS) and did not pose any risk of harm to occupants.

"Australia's seatbelt wearing rate has been about 95 per cent for many years, while in the United States it is only approaching 70 per cent," said Mr Johnson.

"Because of this, airbags in the United States fire earlier and with more force than Australian airbags to protect passengers not wearing seatbelts," he said.