My neice is fascinated with my S2000 but can't ride in it due to the passenger side air bag and the fact that she is only 10 years old. Is there any way to disable it temporarily and easy by pulling a fuse, plug or something simple like that?

~Paul

 

I've seen here before that someone had gotten a defeat switch put in aftermarket just like the ones on most cars that take a key. Otherwise you could just go under the dash and pull the plug to the airbag but that would get annoying to plug it in and out all the time should you want it for other passengers.

 

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=134950


my daughter rides with me all the time (using a booster seat with the seat belt locked), and she is only 5.

 

I find it utterly ridiculous that you can buy a 70s muscle car with 500 plus Hp, and the only safety device is a lap-belt. But you need government permission to disable an airbag in a newer car.

 

My daughter has been riding with me since she was 4 in the car. Shes 9 now. As long as you do it right they'll be fine. Just lock the seatbelt and make sure the seat is all the way back. Annoying for them but safe.

 

and this is a very excellent point... but they government is full of morons, with the common sence of a rock.

 

mine started riding with me when she was 4 as well.

 

It's perfectly safe until the airbag is deployed. I heard it can injure them because of thier lack of height. The airbag is designed for most of the impact to hit u in the chest and not the face. I guess what PJK did should be ok because the booster seat raises the child up to the proper height.

 

Actually, the airbag will hit you pretty much full on torso/face. i've seen many a full grown adult friend or aquaintance come out of a wreck w/ facial and chest injuries. of course, not all of them were wearing seatbelts.

i can't find it right now (NHTSA moved stuff around on their site), but there was a study i referenced quite a while ago... in their tracking statistics most (if not all) injuries to kids from airbags were directly related to children not being restrained at all! as a parent, in this day and age, i simply cannot fathom how you could not buckle your kids in! and not buckling them in tight in front of an airbag?
also, an airbag does have a limited deployment range. iirc, the passenger bag (located in the dash) deploys less further out than the driver bag.

the best decision is to just be as defensive in your driving as possible.

regardless. any time my kids are in the car, my driving style is VERY different than with an adult or when alone. on top of that, i ratchet and lock my little girl in till she complains about not being able to move, the seat goes all the way back, and i use the booster to best position her in the belt.
but she doesn't complain long about the discomfort. when the top goes down, it's all smiles and an arm stuck out to play in the wind.

i would NEVER use a rear-facing carseat.

 

i agree totally... no seat belt on a child? Some people are dumb! I would definitely keep the g-forces and speeds down to a minimum... well, to S2000 standards of course
Not to mention that they are my sisters kids and she would throw a sh*t fit if anything ever happened. Can't blame her tho.