Airbag concerns

[pipTheGeek]

Air bags here are designed to work with the seatbelt that's why the seatbelt has a pyrotechnic pre-tensioner that's designed to pull you back into the seat as the airbag fires.

Not all cars with an airbag has pre-tensioners.

My Zafira handbook (which I can't find now to check) does say you should try and stay far away (no distances given) from the PASSENGER airbag becuase it is huge. IIRC this is emphasised for carrying kids in the front.

On a personal note, I'm fairly tall, but I drive with the seat back pretty straight up, which means I'm normally pretty close to the steering wheel airbag. I crashed my car several years ago (not too badly) as I was heading mostly sideways for a kerb I remember thinking "Please don't let the airbag go off, please don't let the airbag go off". I just hope it only causes less damage than it prevents. (Actually I hope never to see it )

[MadduckUK]

if the worst comes to the worst, she can always look at getting some Bulgarian airbags fitted sorry

[DannyM]

General consensus seems to be 10inches, but that's mainly US based.

I would ask the dealer if you are buying new, if they say they don't know or seems unsure just walk, they'll either let you go or do their best to find out, well at least I hope they would. I recall my dad saying that air bag technology has improved a lot, but then I'd imagine that depends on the car you intend to get, so theres really no better way to find out then from a dealer or a manufacture.

[daniel32885]

I completely understand why you are concerned. It is very rare to see a rule book, if you like, for airbags being used effectively. What distance you should be... When it will deploy... all of this should be investigated and made public for our and your safety. They're only life savers if the are used and hit, for that matter, correctly!

[peterb]

General consensus seems to be 10inches, but that's mainly US based.

Great quote Danny! Welcome to HEXUS BTW

[Butcher]

My car manual says to sit 25 cm away, so that's another 10 inches recommendation.

[roachcoach]

Cheers folks

We got sick of kicking around garages for hours on end and just bit the bullet. Decided in the end to leave her with the existing car and I took the second one

[DanceswithUnix]

Bit late now, but out of interest did you try any small Italian cars? Plenty of short legged people out there. Seating is different to the point that I have known people who couldn't get comfy in a Fiat who fit fine in a VW and the other way around too. These are people who don't care about cars, so it doesn't seem to be bias.

[roachcoach]

Nah, in the end we lost patience as it had dragged on so long (Only so many hours its reasonable to drag kids around dealers) and she kept the existing car (rav) and I got a second one, a nice sensible focus. *cough* ST *cough*

[DanceswithUnix]

Nah, in the end we lost patience as it had dragged on so long (Only so many hours its reasonable to drag kids around dealers) and she kept the existing car (rav) and I got a second one, a nice sensible focus. *cough* ST *cough*

Well that sounds pretty sensible to me

[roachcoach]

She's a lot of fun

[kalniel]

She's a lot of fun

And how's the car?

[roachcoach]

+1 Monday morning chuckle

Even better than I expected/hoped. It is an odd dichotomy though, quiet & refined - indeed even 'bog standard' focus driven slowly. Give it a boot and it turns into a snarling lunatic. Jekyll and Hyde indeed.