No feet on the dash

By Derek McNaughton

Originally published: August 4, 2011

"In the past few weeks, I’ve seen several passengers with their bare feet on the dash while someone else is driving on the highway.

My wife has been guilty of this too, though she no longer does it after I’ve explained why.

It is not because of the marks that can be left on the dash — but because of the airbags that would, if deployed while her feet were on the dash, push her knees into her face, breaking her jaw, her teeth as well as dislocating several other joints and who knows what else. The airbag meant to protect her would cause untold damages and pain.

Often, there is no time to react in the event of a sudden collision, and airbags deploy in three tenths of a second with an extremely powerful force. If you’re in the passenger seat, it’s time to put your feet down. The simplest and safest solution is to keep your feet on the floor.

Here’s a good video that shows how fast and how extreme airbags can be."