2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey. Volume 3: Air Bags Report

摘要

The 2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey was the fifth in a series of biennial national telephone surveys on occupant protection issues conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data collection was conducted by Schulman, Ronca & Bucuvalas, Inc., a national survey research organization. The survey used two questionnaires, each administered to a randomly selected national sample of about 6,000 persons age 16 or older. Interviewing began January 8, 2003 and ended March 30, 2003. This report presents the survey findings pertaining to air bags. Detailed information on the survey methodology, as well as copies of the questionnaires is contained in a separate NHTSA report ('2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey. Volume 1, Methodology Report'). The percentage of drivers with air bags in their primary vehicles has continued to increase. In 2003, 77% reported air bags in primary vehicles, compared to 67% in 2000. The vast majority of the public (95%) understood that safety belts still needed to be worn even when the vehicle they were riding in had an air bag. Forty-three percent of the public had concerns about the safety of air bags. Despite the concerns, 83% of the public would prefer both driver and passenger air bags in their next vehicle, compared to 9% who would prefer not to have airbags in their next vehicle and 4% who were unsure what they would prefer.