Virtually all new vehicles introduced in the American market come with power window systems. Although these make it easier for passengers to open and shut windows, they have been the cause of many injuries over the years. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, approximately 500 people suffer from power window related injuries every year. Most of those injured are children below the age of 15. Since the onset of their popularity in the early nineties, approximately 58 people have died and hundreds have been injured.

Causes of Power Window Accidents

Most vehicles equipped with power windows come with one of 2 kinds of operating systems:

• Rocker switches – Here, the passenger presses one end of the switch in order to open or shut the window.
• Toggle switches – Here, the passenger presses the switch forward in order to operate the power window.

Both switches are easy for children to operate resulting in hundreds rushed to emergency rooms with fractured fingers and hands, crushed fingers, and dislocation.

A third kind of switch, the lever switch, is more difficult for children of this high risk age group to operate.  This switch is operated by pulling up on the switch in order to operate the window. Auto safety advocates have been urging motor vehicle companies to use the lever switch system, making it harder for children to operate windows. Daimler Chrysler and General Motors have recently introduced passenger car models with the lever switch power window mechanism. However, the majority of American made cars continue to use the rocker or toggle switch systems.

Safety mechanisms that force windows to open automatically when obstructed can prevent most injuries and deaths related to power windows. These safety mechanisms work in much the same manner as elevator doors, which open when blocked by an object or person. Most American cars are not equipped with these safety mechanisms, however, they are common in Japanese and European models.

An overwhelming majority of accidents caused by power windows can be prevented if automobile manufacturers invest in safety mechanisms and lever switches.

Injuries from Power Window Accidents

More than 70% of power window injuries cause fractures of fingers, wrists, or hands. Dislocation, bruising, lacerations, and crushed hands are also common. Heads or bodies can also be trapped in power windows resulting in suffocation.