New Car Buying Advice About Airbags
When your considering buying a new car, you should get as much new car buying advice as possible. One of the most important things you should research is the safety of the vehicle you are interested in. The safety features of your new car could save your life and the lives of your family. One of the most important safety features are the airbags. Airbags are built into most vehicles and are credited with saving thousands of lives.
Airbags are nylon bags designed to inflate automatically and rapidly in a collision, to prevent the passenger from hitting a hard surface such as the dashboard or steering wheel. They are designed to inflate when there is a moderate to severe collision. When the vehicle hits something, the airbag sensors trigger the inflation of the airbags. The bags inflate in less than a second, usually using nitrogen gas, then immediately start to deflate through side vents to cushion the impact.
There are two main types of airbags, front seat and side airbags. New cars are required to have dual front airbags. Front airbags are designed to protect the front seat passengers in front impact collisions. They are folded into the steering wheel and/or the dashboard. Some vehicles also have side airbags. Side airbags are designed for side impact collisions and usually deploy from the door or the side of the seat. All airbags are designed to protect either the head and/or upper body of the occupants. The more airbags a vehicle has, the safer it will be. Some motorcycles also have airbags to help protect the rider in frontal collisions.
Toyota has recently developed rear airbags to increase the safety for back seat passengers, especially in a rear end collision. They are the first manufacturer to produce them. A curtain style airbag deploys from the roof of the vehicle, to prevent head injuries of the back seat passengers. They will be built in to the new Toyota iQ ultra compact vehicle being introduced later this year.
More advanced airbags are designed to be able to detect important information such as weather the occupant is wearing a seat belt, the severity of the crash, the size and position of the occupant and how close they are to the airbag. This info will determine how forcefully the airbag will deploy, if at all.
When buying a new car remember that front airbags are not safe for children, they are designed for adults and children can be injured from the impact. Children 12 and under should always be seated safely in the back seat. Airbags are generally considered safe for adults. Although injuries have occurred, serious injuries are rare. Minor injuries that have occurred include abrasions, burns and hearing damage. Adults should sit at least 10 inches away from the airbag. Sitting too close can cause head, neck or chest injuries. Wearing a seat belt increases the effectiveness of the airbag as well as your overall safety.
If you don't think that airbags are safe for you or your family, you can have an on/off switch installed so that you can deactivate them. An authorization letter is required in order to have one installed, and they will not be allowed after 2012.
Many people don't realize that once an airbag has deployed, it must be replaced. It is up to the vehicle owner to replace the airbags. Airbag replacement can be very expensive, ranging from hundreds or even thousands of dollars and they may or may not be covered under warranty, depending on the vehicle. It needs to be done either by your dealer or by a repair shop. It's not only the bag itself that needs to be replaced, but also the linked components. Another valuable piece of new car buying advice: before buying a new car, ask about the airbag replacement cost for that specific model.
Published on Friday, October 3, 2008 - Email to a friend
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