Letters to the editor: Driving and tattoo safety

A reader warns people to keep their feet off the car dashboard. Photo / Getty

The X-Ray image in the Daily Post (Driven, February 7) shows the horrendous injuries which can be inflicted if a front-seat passenger is riding with his or her feet up on the dashboard and in the event of a collision the airbag is deployed.

What is not mentioned is what can happen to a driver who habitually drives with just one hand and that hand at the top of the steering wheel. From my observations at least 80 per cent of local drivers steer in that way instead of hands at 10 to 2 or quarter to 3.

A traffic police officer at an Agewise Drivewise course observing my driving and commented on my good steering skills. He mentioned that one-hand practice and said that when (note: not if) the airbag deploys, the driver's hand and arm are thrown back into his face, resulting in severe hand, jaw and facial injuries. He had too often seen that happen.

Keep your feet off the dashboard and your hands clear of that airbag in the centre of the steering wheel and in the event of a crash the airbags will have the chance do their intended job.

Ronald Mayes, Rotorua

Are tattoos safe?

I found myself wondering about the present craze for tattoos, after reading about the tattoo festival held recently in Rotorua.

While respecting cultural reasons for a tattoo, it seems a shame to me to disfigure a perfect young body. More to the point - is tattooing safe? Has anybody studied the long-term effects of the needles and ink applied early in life?

A N Christie, Rotorua

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