Study into airbag safety

Airbags inflate at speeds of up to 200mph

The government is to fund research into the safety of car airbags over fears that the devices may be responsible for some deaths.

Two women have died in the UK when their airbags inflated in separate accidents.

The father of one of them welcomed the research but said it was "long overdue".

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) will fund the study into the differing risks of airbags depending on whether seatbelts are used.

A DETR spokesman said: "There is not adequate information in this country at present about the safety of airbags.

When Jennifer died we knew it was because of her airbag

George Reichardt

"Previous research has shown that airbags are a major contributor towards vehicle safety but we just want to make sure."

Jennifer Reichardt, 47, died from head injuries after her Rover was involved in a head-on collision with another car in Merseyside in 1998.

Another female motorist, Christalla Sergi, from the Wirral, died when the airbag in her Vauxhall Corsa inflated as she crashed into a tree in October 1998.

Inquests in both cases heard evidence that the inflatable device had played a part in their deaths.

4,000 lives saved

Medical opinion stated the women had suffered head injuries when thrown back in their seats by the airbags.

Ms Reichardt's father, George said: "When Jennifer died in January 1998 we knew it was because of her airbag.

"This study will come three years after her death, which is simply too long."

Airbag facts

Inflate in 20mph-plus accidents

Inflate in 25 thousandths of a second

Work at speeds of up to 200 mph

35 litres of gas propellant explode into the bag

Fifteen million airbags have inflated in accident conditions in America, saving about 4,000 lives.

But they are also thought to have caused the deaths of 60 people.

Airbags are normally stored in the steering wheel and are set off by sudden stops and inflate at up to 200mph.

It is thought the impact is dangerous for people who sit very close to the wheel or whose head is below the main part of the bag.

Some doctors recommend that children under 12 years old are not put in the front seat of a car.