According to UK-based accident management company, Accident Exchange, the growing trade on auction sites like eBay, is a potentially ‘life and death’ issue.
The unregulated nature of the marketplace means the second-hand airbags being sold could be defective or inoperable, without the buyer’s or even the seller’s knowledge. The end result could be fatal if the airbag fails to deploy in an accident.
At any time around 3,000 airbags are being auctioned online, according to Accident Exchange’s research. In the vast majority of cases, the history is unclear.
Last year, an investigation by the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 255 of the 1,446 fatal crashes it reviewed, the airbags had not been properly replaced after the previous accident. The report discovered scrunched up newspaper, crisp packets and even a trainer in place of the airbag unit.
Adding to the problem, postal workers are unwittingly transporting the often anonymously packaged airbags even though they are classified as UN Hazard Class 1 explosives. In situ, they deploy and inflate within just 25 milliseconds of impact, reaching speeds of up to 160mph.
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