Airbags

An airbag is a device used in a car to help improve safety. Its main purpose is to cushion occupants during an accident and help provide their bodies with protection while preventing them from hitting interior objects like the window or steering wheel. It is designed to inflate during moderate to severe crashes. Most modern vehicles contain multiple airbags in various frontal and side locations of the passenger seating positions.

Brands

Almost all airbags are available through the dealership from where you purchased your car. There are many different types of airbags, however. The frontal airbag is standard in all vehicles. Side airbags are also commonly used today, and there are two types – the side curtain airbag and the side torso airbag. You can also add knee airbags, which help reduce the chance of serious leg injury during an accident. Lastly, in 2009 Toyota developed the first rear-seat center airbag, and the 2015 Chevrolet Suburban will be the first vehicle to use a center airbag for center passengers in the front row.

Safety

Airbags are somewhat controversial in terms of how beneficial they are to passenger safety. Even with great technological advancements in recent years, airbags are only effective when using a shoulder and lap seat belt. There is also a risk zone for drivers when they sit within 2 to 3 inches of inflation of the airbag. Placing yourself 10 inches from your driver airbag gives you a clear margin of safety. You can do this by slightly reclining your seat or moving your seat back a few inches. While airbags do help prevent serious injury during an accident, there are certain risk factors associated with them.

Benefits

The biggest benefit of airbags is the increased safety. Airbags distribute crash forces more evenly across a passenger’s body, which significantly reduces the risk of life-threatening injury. In fact, between 1987 and 2008, an estimated 25,000 lives were saved by airbags. While airbags do pose a hazard to children, most vehicles have an on/off switch for their airbags, so you can switch them off to help protect young passengers. When combined with seat belts, airbags continue to help prevent thousands of fatalities each year.

Drawbacks

The biggest benefit of airbags is safety, but ironically, safety is also the biggest drawback of airbags. Airbags deploy at around 100 miles per hour, which can cause serious injuries. According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), most injuries caused by airbags are burns and minor abrasions, but serious injury can sometimes occur, particularly to children. Children under 13 should always sit in the back seat to avoid injury. Airbags are not a replacement for seatbelts, either. If a passenger is improperly restrained, an airbag may cause more harm than it prevents during an accident.

Cost

Depending on your vehicle, the cost of airbags can range from $500 to $1,500. Driver-side airbags tend to cost between $300 and $700, while passenger-side airbags can cost up to $1,000. Auto insurance usually covers the cost of airbag replacement, although the high cost of airbag replacement combined with the cost of any other repairs means insurance companies are more likely to “total” a car rather than simply replace the airbags.