[QUOTE]Originally posted by Skarv
[B]Read the stats on the nhsta site, and make your decision.

Mine is that the probablilty fatality due to the bag being off when needed thanks to the switch, is greater than the probability of fatality due to the bag going off unexpectadly.

 

As usual opinions fly on this board. I was just offering the opportunity for a group buy if anyone was interested. This is kind of like cable TV if you don't like what you see change the channel. If your not interested in the Air Bag switch don't buy it. I was just offering the info to the board that was given to me.

 

No doubt, the air bag issue is a hot one. But like so many safety related issues, it is difficult to get a clear picture of the actual risk. Take ATVs for example. About 1,000 people will die each year while riding one. You may conclude that ATVs are unsafe and decide to never get near one. Look deeper and find that 80% of those yearly fatalities involve alcohol and/or riders not wearing helmets. If all riders took a FREE rider safety course offered by the manufacturer, the fatality rate could drop even more.

Yes, an air bag can hurt or kill and unrestrained or improperly restrained human. Yes, air bags have been credited for preventing numerous fatalities. The bag rash and minor gas burns that are commonly reported by survivors are nothing compared to what a steering wheel rim can do to your skull.

The "just put them in the back seat" rule is easy for every idiot to understand, since most people will not follow multiple steps to properly restrain themselves or their kids.

I have chosen to properly restrain my 5 year old son in an approved booster in the front seat of my S2000. I take the time to move the seat full aft, activate the locking feature that is included in the passenger belt spool (see your owners manual), and my little dude can't even scratch his knee cap while touring the counrtyside. I believe more risk lies in getting t-boned by an Excursion than the air bags blowing us out of the car!

Get all the facts and make a decision you are comfortable with.

 

I thought your post was pretty good. I'd be interested if you get enough other people.

Air bags are designed for adults, not children. A child in a booster seat will never hit the windshield or dash, but their legs can be broken by the velocity of the airbag, which will also crack ribs on a full grown adult. In the adults case that can be much better than the alternative.

Anybody who puts a rearfacing seat in the the front with the airbag on is, in my mind, taking a very unreasonable risk. A 5mph fender bender could decapitate/break the neck of their child, as the air bag impacts the back of the child seat. The front facing seats are less dangerous, but children in child seats are better off with the airbags switched off, the data sources quoted by earlier posters supports this.

Your 10 year old will be safe in your car with the seat belt on, as safe as is reasonably possible in my mind. For children who are younger than 5 or 6 I think air-bag switches make sense (which is supported by the most if not all car manufacturers and NHTSA). Honda stated they didn't put them in because empty nesters and Yuppies were the primary target market. Rear facing seats should never be put in a seat with airbags.

Hugh

 

I drive with my six year old in the front seat all the time . It's a shame that car companys have to scare the s*** outta the public because.001% of the accidents result in a childs death. Before you harp on me and call me a menace, please research how many children were in passenger seats, properly restrained, and suffered no injury what so ever except the "nylon burn" everyone may get.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 1badride
[B]Have you ever been smacked in the face by an air bag?
Seat belts are where it's at.

 

I think the basketball analogy is probably accurate. The problem is that the dash is like getting hit with a bowling ball at the same speed.

You pick.

Dan

 

NHTSA says airbags are safe for most people, yet also has given car manufacturers until 2006 to come up with a "safe airbag". With shorter people and children, the bag is aimed at the head rather than at the chest, since it was designed for the standard 5'10" man. Airbags come out with about 1200 lbs of force at more than 200 mph. Moving the seat back as far as possible is a good idea. So is not having your hands on the airbag cover, sitting up straight and looking straight ahead in an accident.
NHTSA approves the installation of airbag switches as long as you get their permission. You can also buy instructions for disconnecting your own airbag but probably won't find anyone to do it for you because of liability. NHTSA's statistics are only for the newest generation airbags, since those are the only ones their Special Crash Investigation Unit investigates. I use airbag switches and my wife won't ride in the front seat without them. She's 4'11" and has been hit in the face with an airbag. She's lucky to be alive today. But on balance, I think having airbags makes sense if you're able to keep the required 10" between your chest and the steering wheel and if you don't need to drive around children or people with medical conditions like osteoporosis. An airbag switch just gives you a choice of whether to have the airbag on or off... that's all. For a good information source on airbags check out www.airbagonoff.com.

 

Sorry about the laggy response, been busy.

As far as hitting the windshield - if your belt isn't holding you in place and the airbag goes, you can expect serious injuries.

Yes, I am trying to find a way to get a decent rollbar installed (real one) so I can mount the harnesses properly.

My worry is more about airbags deploying when they shouldn't deploy. I had a 1992 Integra that I spun due to a defective left rear shock and ended up hitting a wall at approx. 80km/h. I was speeding, a pedestrian literally ran out in front of me. I missed the jaywalker. Serious damage to the vehicle. I saw the crash coming, so I let go of the steering wheel at the last second.

Damage to me was stereo faceplate smashed by my hand ($900 Sony XRC-900), scratches on my knuckle, small welt on my chest from the seatbelt. My face did not contact the dash or the windshield. Use of a seatbelt is mandatory by law here in Ontario.

If I had an airbag in that car, my glasses would have been impacted into my face causing who knows what kind of injuries.

Again, my original response was a personal opinion. Seat belts save lives. Lap belts cause injuries which I beleive is why they are no longer used in new cars (they all have 2-pt belts in Canada at least).

In any case, peace y'all.

 

Forgive me, but this is inaccurate. The stock seatbelt will lock at between 2 and 6mm as soon as the car starts to pitch, and NOTHING is going to get it to budge, there will be no laying down in this particular instance. But I do agree that the 4-poing safety harness has to be used correctly to provide the safety it is designed to provide.

Andrew