I recently came across some advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding children and automobile airbags. Thanks to the Star Tribune for publishing this information.

Current federal guidelines call for children to be kept out of the front seat of air-bag-equipped cars until at least age 13, but a new study published in the journal Pediatrics suggests teens up to age 15 are still at risk from the devices.

Advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

��� Never put an infant in the front seat of a car, truck or van with an air bag. The back seat is safest for children of all ages.

��� All children need to be properly secured in safety seats, belt-positioning booster seats or shoulder/lap belts correct for their size.

��� If no other arrangement is possible and an older child must ride in the front seat, move the vehicle seat back as far as it can go, away from the air bag, and be sure that the child is restrained properly for his or her size.

You can access the American Academy of Pediatrics’ fact sheet on airbag safety for children here.