No experience with airbags. Replacing '86 Mazda B2000 bought new in '85, doesn’t have 'em. New vehicle will have.
I’m 61.5" tall. Will I be killed by the airbag if somebody bumps me in the Costco parking lot?
New car? new generation air bags,new deployment rate,does this fit you? New bags do not deploy with so much force.
Would you consider a driver air bag disable?
Don’t worry about the airbag. It only deploys under a specific set of circumstances. A parking lot tap will NOT deploy the airbag. You have to hit something head on, and HARD, to deploy the airbag.
You’re worrying about nothing. I had a car pull out in front of me, and I couldn’t avoid the collision. The collision did some damage to the front of my vehicle, but totaled the other car. My airbag did not deploy.
Airbags are everywhere these days. Have you ever heard of a person killed by an airbag? I doubt it. Besides, good luck finding a vehicle that doesn’t have airbags.
Relax, the airbag won’t deploy in a minor fender-bender, and if it does deploy it’s more likely to save you than to kill you.
Did you see the last Die Hard movie? One of the main characters slams the front of a parked car with a garbage can to make the airbags deploy. Fortunately, that was fiction. They don’t deploy that easily and when they do, the newest airbags are designed to deploy at a rate that is appropriate for your speed and the strength of the impact. You should be fine. You were fortunate to skip the first generation of airbags.
Thanks, all. I feel better now.
Was remembering the controversy concerning first-generation airbags, when there were injuries and several fatalities caused by the airbag deploying in low-speed collisions; this gave rise to the rule, "Kids In The Back Seat."
Disabling the airbag is illegal and voids insurance coverage.
Will be shopping for a new or newer vehicle with multi-plane adjustable seats and adjustable steering column.
Again, Thanks.
Look for a car with seats that adjust up and down as well as forward and back. Some cars also have pedal adjustment. My SIL is shorter than you and she drove a Chrysler Town and Country and now drives a Kia Rondo. My BIL is 76" and used both cars, too.
Have you ever heard of a person killed by an airbag? I doubt it.
A number of people have been killed by airbags, mostly short people sitting far too close to the wheel, or children/babies in the wrong place, or not wearing a seat belt. Keep babies and small children in the back, wear your seat belt, and avoid first generation airbags if possible.
Where did that info come from “disabling the airbag is illegal and voids insurance coverage” Are you saying its illegal to drive with a disabled airbag? My truck has a switch to disable the passenger airbag. It may affect your payment in regards to paying for your injuries but I can’t see how it affect your liability insurance,they don’t keep you from hitting someone.
I am around 61" and I worry about airbags too. However, if you’re buying a newer vehicle with second gen. airbags its probably ok. It is true that short women were killed by airbags - and yes they were sitting too close, because if your legs are short you HAVE to sit close in order to reach the pedals. I worried when I switched from my 1991 Corrolla in 2003. I was getting a used car, and purposely chose one where the fuse for the airbag was separate so I could disable it (on some cars, like most toyota’s the airbag fuse also serves vital components like headlights). I just pulled out the fuse - but kept it in case I should sell it later to put back in. Mechanics cannot advise you to remove it or remove it for you legally - they can get in trouble. Where I live you can get a form and send it in to motor vehicles asking to be excused from airbags because you’re short - then you have to get a package from the dealer to remove it - this costs about 300-400.00. I found removing the fuse to be much easier. And, yes, it’s true that the airbags were DESIGNED to not go off on small accidents - but I have read that some airbags go off at the slightest thing. I knew a 60 year old lady who was about 62" , but very husky build and she was in an accident with first gen. airbags and she was terribly bruised but survived. I am very light with small bones and so I was concerned. Does anyone recall when the second generation ones came out? My latest vehicle is a 2000 and has second gen. I haven’t disabled them, and I worry less, but I still wish they’d never been invented. I’ve read that if people wore their seatbelts they would be just as protected…however I’ve also read that now that their are airbags (real cheap for the manuf. to install) the manufacturers can fudge on other safety things and still get a good crash protection rating (such as steel reinforcing beams, etc.). Like I said, I wish they’d never been invented. One problem I find is that most car salesmen don’t know when the second gen. airbags started. I think it was around 98 or 99 but may depend on the make - I think the luxury vehicles came out with them first.
Help me understand this. If you sit close to the steering wheel, wouldn’t you be in danger of your face hitting the steering wheel in spite of the seatbelts? Wouldn’t you be in just as much danger without the airbag?
Have you considered pedal extenders as a solution?
Re face hitting steering wheel - I don’t think so, cause I went off the road on black ice in my first car, a Celica and I know it was only the seat belt holding me in, cause I felt my whole body lift off the seat. By the way, they towed the car out of the ditch, and I drove it to work and worked all day after (lost my lower front plastic spoiler though). I think that when you’re really short, the seat belt holds you back quite high on the body (I’m not just talking lap belt of course) so your face is no where near the steering wheel; to be specific, my seat belt hits me just where my neck meets my body - it’s really irritating actually. BTW I was going about 60 mph when I hit the ditch (soft dirt fortunately) cause the brakes wouldn’t work at all on that ice. Also, for lots of short folks, their arms are pretty short too, so even with pedal extenders they would have to sit pretty close - although my arms are a bit closer to regular length than my legs.
I should think about pedal extenders, I saw some once on a midget’s car. I guess the concept makes me nervous, cause what if they come off? Or what if someone taller wants to drive my car? I probably should have thought of them back when I was looking at half ton trucks in the early 90’s cause my feet couldn’t touch the pedals in any of them.
What I heard about belts vs. airbags was that the accident statistics were similar for accident where belts are worn vs. airbags, naturally individual cases might be different.
Well, if your face is far enough from the steering wheel that your face didn’t hit it, I think you will be safe with airbags. I was worried that an airbag deployment would push your head back instead of catching your head as it moves forward. I guess (and hope) that won’t be an issue.
Maybe you should try to find out how far a deployed airbag extends and make sure you are sitting farther back than the range of the bag.
just recently,a young boy was killed,by my house,when the car was hit,and the airbagdeployed.he was in the passenger seat.he was killed by the airbag
not that clip, but a similar one