Government Warns of Rhinestones on Steering Wheels

Decorating or personalizing your car? No problem, a lot of people do, and many of the accessories and add-ons that people make to cars, are pretty harmless, from a safety standpoint. But ironically, one add-on that would at first seem to be the most harmless, is actually one that the government is warning could be the most dangerous.

Cute Shiny Rhinestones

We’re talking about rhinestones. That’s right, the little shiny plastic-y stones with adhesives. Many people put them on and around their steering wheel for decoration, usually along the wheel part surrounding the car’s or manufacturer’s logo, which is usually at the center of the steering wheel.

What could be dangerous about plastic rhinestones? The problem, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now warning, is that in an accident, these rhinestones could fly off, becoming dangerous projectiles, thus injuring people (particularly the driver of the car). The government is now suggesting that anybody who has these affixed to the wheel, remove them.

What’s the Danger?

The stones do not attach tightly enough to the wheel, to stay on in a major force car accident. Not only do they not stay on the wheel, but they can fly off the wheel with such force that they cause injury. And in fact, people have been injured by rhinestones.

One driver had to have an entire line of rhinestones removed from her arm at the hospital after an accident. Another driver lost an eye when a rhinestone went into her eye during an accident.

The Airbag and Rhinestones

And it’s not just the force of the accident that can make the stones into dangerous projectiles, but it’s the airbag as well.

The airbag deploys with hundreds of pounds of explosive force. It deploys with enough power to break bones (or worse, if the driver isn’t wearing a seat belt). There is no way that rhinestones stuck on with adhesive, can hang on to the wheel, given the force of a deploying airbag (note that the factory-installed manufacturer’s logo or icon, is specifically designed to not be impacted when airbags deploy).

Proper Position

The problem is made even worse by people who don’t sit in the front seat the way that they are supposed to. Many people will ride with a foot on the seat, putting their leg up in front of them. In that case, there is almost no room between the airbag or the rhinestones, and the driver’s body.

Although the government warning is specifically for rhinestones, it is a good reminder to keep the steering wheel, and the area around it, free from extraneous items, or anything that could, with enough force come off. In an accident, those items won’t just come off—they’ll fly off with enough force to do some serious damage to people inside the car.

Call us with your questions if you were injured in a car accident. Contact the Las Vegas personal injury lawyers at Cameron Law today at 702-745-4545.

Sources:

cnn.com/2023/11/06/business/steering-wheel-rhinestones-can-become-dangerous-projectiles-in-a-crash-government-warns/index.html

forbes.com/advisor/legal/auto-accident/airbag-injuries/