Despite concerns about their safety in low-speed incidents, air bags number two to eight in each of today’s vehicles. And some manufacturers promote the quantity of air bags in their vehicles, implying more is better.
Is that true?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculates that at least 6,200 people are alive because of an air bag and that their use has reduced the driver death rate by 14 percent.
NHTSA says passenger death rates are 11 percent lower than they would be without air bags. But they also are cited in the deaths of at least 158 people. Because of a high rate of deployment speed, which used to reach 200 m.p.h., small adults and children, particularly those who were unbelted or improperly restrained, were at risk.
NHTSA estimates that the combination of an air bag, a passive restraint that requires no action by the driver, and a seat belt, an active restraint because it must be buckled, is 75 percent effective in preventing serious head injuries and 60 percent effective against serious chest injuries.
“We do know that, in many types of accidents, forces on the head, neck and chest are catastrophically high without an air bag and very low with one,” said Mercedes-Benz spokesman Fred Heiler.”This seems especially dramatic with our curtain side air bag in severe side impacts. Data suggest that about 90 percent of the fatal head injuries are prevented by the curtain bag. So, we feel very strongly that air bags are worth the expense to our owners, and research shows that safety is at the top of the list of purchase considerations among our buyers.”
Three basic types of air bags are available: front, side and head. Front air bags, mandated in all vehicles since 1998, are in the steering wheel and the instrument panel. Side-impact air bags can be mounted in the seat or door and can protect the head as well as the chest. And head-protection bags generally drop from the roof.
Late in 1999, NHTSA estimated that 3.3 million driver-side air bags had activated since they became available, as did 557,000 passenger units.
Developed in the early 1970s, air bags were installed in thousands of General Motors automobiles in that decade as an experiment, and most owners did not know of their existence. At that time, the U.S. government intended to require air bags in the late 1970s. That plan was delayed several times, so air bags did not begin to appear as options until the mid- to late-1980s, usually on high-end models such as Mercedes-Benzes. Ford Motor Co. was the first domestic maker to advertise that it was installing a driver-side bag–as an $815 option on the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz models.
In the 1990s, passenger-side air bags were phased in. Dual front air bags became mandatory in cars for 1998, and a year later they were required in light trucks.
Side and head air bags are similarly entering the market gradually. Smaller than front air bags, side-impact air bags provide a cushion between the occupant and the vehicle’s door. The side bags, however, must deploy more quickly than front-impact bags because there is less room between the door and the occupant. A handful of models, including the Audi A8 and the 2002 Jaguar X-Type, have side air bags in the back seat as well as upfront.
BMW introduced a tube-style head bag in 1997 to protect front and rear occupants. Volvo uses to a side-curtain air bag, which also is offered by Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Saturn and Volkswagen.
“We believe air bags offer excellent supplemental protection for a vehicle occupant,” said Volvo spokesman Dan Johnston. “However, the first line of defense is the three-point seat belt. When designing future safety features, like additional air bags, we look to our accident research database that contains about 24,000 individual accidents to help us understand accident and injury trends.
“From this research, in 1995 Volvo was the first to introduce side-impact air bags. When design work started on our S80, specs included an integrated inflatable curtain for front and rear outboard occupants.”
“Does this drive up costs? Yes,” Johnston said, “and it advances safety for our customers. Does adding air bags warrant the costs? The number of air bags really isn’t the issue, it’s if they make sense from a protection intention point-of-view. Does it push other manufactures to offer similar equipment? We hope so.”
Recent testing of a Volvo S80 sedan and a BMW X5 sport-utility vehicle showed a head injury is significantly less likely with the bags, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an insurance industry research and lobbying group. In side impacts into a pole, forces on the dummies’ heads were rated “low.”
Another type of head protection comes from dual-chamber thorax bags, which are available on a greater number of vehicles, including lower-priced models.
Deploying from the seat, they cushion the occupant’s head and chest after inflating forward and upward. They are available on such vehicles as the Ford Focus.
In response to fears that air bags endangered children and short people, NHTSA enacted a rule that would permit de-powering by 20 to 35 percent, in 1997.
“All manufacturers are developing methods to deal with the new requirements of the standard to protect smaller, out-of-position occupants,” NHTSA spokesman Tim Hurd said.
Dual-stage air bags, which deploy based on several factors such as crash severity and seat occupancy, are installed on current models. Dual-stage air bags and child-recognition systems began to appear in 2000. They’re in a substantial number of 2001 models, and coming in more for 2002.
If occupant sensors detect that no one is sitting in the passenger seat or a small child is there, sensors can prevent the air bag from activating. Such “smart” air bags will be phased in beginning with the 2004 model year before they become mandatory in 2007.
Jaguar offers an Adaptive Restraint Technology System in the XK8 coupe. Sensors in the A- and B-pillars (around the windshield and between the doors) and in the roof determine the presence and position of an occupant’s head and upper torso.
Additional sensors detect the person’s weight, distance from the steering wheel and whether the seat belt is buckled properly. Acting upon the input from the sensors, a computer determines whether it should prevent the air bag from deploying or to deploy it with reduced force.
Two-passenger vehicles are equipped with a cutoff switch, which keeps the right-side air bag from operating. People with specific health problems can apply for permission to have a cutoff switch installed to keep the air bag from presenting a significant safety hazard.
In addition to staying securely belted at all times, drivers and passengers should sit as far from the front air bag’s container as possible. NHTSA recommends at least 10 inches. If the vehicle is equipped with a tilt steering wheel, it should be directed toward the driver’s chest.
In cars with side air bags, in particular, children should be encouraged not to lean against the doors. Children younger than 12 are safest in the back seat, and rear-facing child seats should never be installed in the front seat of the car. Rear- and front-facing child seats are best located in the center position in the back seat.
According to a survey of 7,955 drivers who intended to purchase a vehicle soon, conducted in January by the Dohring Co., a consumer research organization, 86 percent considered driver and passenger air bags to be “important” or “very important” in making a purchase decision, up from 76 percent a year earlier. Sixty-five percent put side-impact air bags in those categories, up from 57 percent a year earlier.
Air bags by vehicle
These are the air bags available in 2001 passenger cars and minivans. All passenger cars have dual front air bags. Side-impact air bags may be standard (Std), optional (Opt) or not available (N/A). Some side-impact air bags provide both chest and head protection.
%% VEHICLE SIDE IMPACT THORAX HEAD
Acura CL Std N/A
Acura Integra N/A N/A
Acura NSX N/A N/A
Acura RL Std N/A
Acura TL Std N/A
Audi A4 Std Std
Audi A6 Std Opt Std
Audi A8 Std Std Std
Audi TT Std Std
BMW 3-Series Std Opt Std
BMW 3-Series convertible Std N/A
BMW 5-Series Std Opt Std
BMW 7-Series Std Opt Std
BMW Z3 Std N/A
BMW Z8 Std N/A
Buick Century Opt Opt (driver)
Buick LeSabre Std N/A
Buick Park Avenue Std N/A
Buick Regal Opt Opt (driver)
Cadillac Catera Std N/A
Cadillac DeVille Std Opt
Cadillac Eldorado N/A N/A
Cadillac Seville Std Std (driver)
Chevrolet Cavalier N/A N/A
Chevrolet Corvette N/A N/A
Chevrolet Impala Opt Opt (driver)
Chevrolet Malibu N/A N/A
Chevrolet Metro N/A N/A
Chevrolet Monte Carlo Opt Opt (driver)
Chevrolet Prizm Opt N/A
Chevrolet Venture Std Std (driver)
Chrysler Concorde Opt Opt
Chrysler LHS/300M Opt Opt
Chrysler Prowler N/A N/A
Chrysler PT Cruiser Opt Opt
Chrysler Sebring coupe N/A N/A
Chrysler Sebring sedan Opt Opt Opt
Chrysler Town & Country Std Opt Opt
Chrysler Voyager Std Opt Opt
Daewoo Lanos N/A N/A
Daewoo Leganza N/A N/A
Daewoo Nubira N/A N/A
Dodge Caravan Std Opt Opt
Dodge Intrepid Opt Opt
Dodge Neon Opt Opt
Dodge Stratus coupe N/A N/A
Dodge Stratus sedan Opt Opt Opt
Dodge Viper N/A N/A
Ford Crown Victoria N/A N/A
Ford Focus Opt Opt
Ford Mustang N/A N/A
Ford Taurus Opt Opt
Ford Windstar Std Std
Honda Accord Opt N/A
Honda Civic Opt N/A
Honda Insight N/A N/A
Honda Odyssey N/A N/A
Honda Prelude N/A N/A
Honda S2000 N/A N/A
Hyundai Accent N/A N/A
Hyundai Elantra Std N/A
Hyundai Sonata Std N/A
Hyundai Tiburon N/A N/A
Hyundai XG300 Std N/A
Infiniti G20 Std Std
Infiniti I30 Std Std
Infiniti Q45 (2002) Std Std
Jaguar S-Type Std Std
Jaguar XJ Std N/A
Jaguar XK8 Std Std
Jaguar X-Type (2002) Std Std Std
Kia Optima Opt N/A
Kia Rio N/A N/A
Kia Sephia N/A N/A
Kia Spectra N/A N/A
Lexus ES300 Std N/A
Lexus GS300/430 Std Std
Lexus IS300 Std N/A
Lexus LS430 Std Std
Lexus SC430 Std N/A
Lincoln Continental Std Std
Lincoln LS Std Std
Lincoln Town Car Std Std
Mazda Miata N/A N/A
Mazda Millenia Std Std
Mazda MPV Opt Opt
Mazda Protege Opt Opt
Mazda 626 Opt Opt
Mercedes-Benz C-Class Std Std Std
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class Std Std Std
Mercedes-Benz CLK Std N/A
Mercedes-Benz E-Class Std Std Std
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Std Std Std
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Std N/A
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class Std N/A
Mercury Cougar Opt Opt
Mercury Grand Marquis N/A N/A
Mercury Sable Opt Opt
Mercury Villager N/A N/A
Mitsubishi Diamante N/A N/A
Mitsubishi Eclipse Opt N/A
Mitsubishi Galant Opt N/A
Nissan Altima Opt Opt
Nissan Maxima Opt Opt
Nissan Quest N/A N/A
Nissan Sentra Opt Opt
Oldsmobile Alero N/A N/A
Oldsmobile Aurora Std N/A
Olds Intrigue N/A N/A
Olds Silhouette Std Std (driver)
Pontiac Firebird N/A N/A
Pontiac Bonneville Std N/A
Pontiac Grand Am N/A N/A
Pontiac Grand Prix N/A N/A
Pontiac Montana Std Std (driver)
Pontiac Sunfire N/A N/A
Porsche Boxster Std Std
Porsche 911 Std Std
Saab 9-3 Std Std
Saab 9-5 Std Std
Saturn L-Series Opt N/A
Saturn S-Series Opt N/A
Subaru Impreza (’02) N/A N/A
Subaru Legacy Opt Opt
Subaru Outback N/A N/A
Subaru WRX (2002) Std N/A
Suzuki Esteem N/A N/A
Suzuki Swift N/A N/A
Toyota Avalon Std N/A
Toyota Camry Opt N/A
Toyota Celica Opt N/A
Toyota Corolla Opt N/A
Toyota Echo Opt N/A
Toyota MR2 Spyder N/A N/A
Toyota Prius Opt N/A
Toyota Sienna Opt N/A
Toyota Solara Opt N/A
Volkswagen Beetle Std N/A
Volkswagen Cabrio Std Std
VW EuroVan N/A N/A
VW Golf/GTI Std Std
Volkswagen Jetta Std Std
Volkswagen Passat Std Std
Volvo C70 Std Std
Volvo S/V40 Std Std
Volvo S60 Std Std
Volvo S80 Std Std
Volvo V70 Std Std
%%
Source: Automakers
