Re: Euro airbags

[Luis Marques <marques@ti.com>]

I too have read that the euro airbags are smaller and so fit in a
smaller package in a more sporty steering wheel.  Perhaps the US airbags
are simply larger because Congress wrote the law that way and so all
auto manufacturers had to comply with it.  I seriously doubt that it was
because they are based on the premise that the ocupant is not using his
seat belt.  

>From a friend's experience, I can tell you that the bigger the air bag,
the more harm it can do when a person is not bucked-up.  What happens is
that, upon impact, the body "accelerates" towards the steering wheel
before the airbag deploys.  Once the body is close to the wheel, it
fires and pushes the body back into the seat with explosive force,
breaking ribs, arms, and sometimes killing the person.  So, wearing a
seat belt is just as important when you have an airbag, if not more.

I have the feeling that the euro airbags were sized according to more
"real world" accident tests and data and are just as effective in
protecting the driver in head-on collision, while minimizing the
possible risks associated with it.  I fact, there is a movement underway
to reevaluate the size of US airbags for the potential harm they can do
to small people, or those that forget to buckle up.  If I had my choice
with a new car, I would opt for the smaller one.

Luis Marques
'87 4kcsq, no airbag


Phil Payne wrote:
> I heard at one point that there was a difference between Euro and US
> airbags -  that the US bags are much larger and more powerful because
> they're based on the premise that the occupant is not using the
> seatbelt.
> 
> Is this true?  Would there perhaps be some point in fitting Euro
> airbags?