AWD

A friend of mine's wife is 5'0" and they had to get their airbag on their Nissan disabled before she drove it.

It depends on the type of car and the shape of the person - by that I mean that some people have much longer bodies compared to their legs than others (even if the overall height is the same).

Have a search on the old threads because I remember this being discussed a couple of months ago.

I don't think that there are any legal issues - but there are definitely safety issues to be considered.

barge

I thought the safe distance was a minimum of 12 inches, body to wheel.

Thats why little people [babies etc] should not ride in the front of an air bag equiped car.

Speeling mistoks all over the place & I'm sorry.

AndyG

My girlfriend is 4'10" and regularly drives our MY00 Scooby. She has no problems getting comfortable in the car, but obviously has to sit quite close to the steering wheel.

Anybody know if there are and legal and/or safety issues with this? I think I read somewhere that airbags should be disabled for people below a certain height?

Thanks,
Andy

Shark

There are no legal issues, it's your car do you can disconnect what you like. Possible a passanger might sue you if they injured them selves as a result of the airbag not going off.

As for saftey, I would say you need a min 12'', anything less and they should be disconnected. My sister is 5' and sits too close, so I disconnected both airbags.

David

DocJock

I agree airbags and small people do not mix too well. The problem is the risk of flash burns from the expanding propellant.
They are also not good if you wear glasses as these can be dislodged and driven back into the face/eyes by an expanding bag.

I do believe you will have an MOT failure on your hands if you disable the airbag though, and I don't suppose your insurance companywould be too happy either.

Subie Gal

I dont know about your rules over there... but here in the states your insurance will be affected if you turn off/disconnect the airbag and are then involved in an accident.

i am 5' tall and sit too close to the wheel/airbag so...
i submitted a form which i obtained from our department of transportation which allowed be to obtain an on/off switch for the airbag

now legally, i can have my airbag turned off... the only issues with this were

1) finding a place to install the switch. even with government approval, auto shops were nervous about assisting me

2) the cost of installing the switch was horrendous.

so..
3) i just removed the wheel, disconnected the bags and put in a racing wheel



j.

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

Airbags are optimised for 50th %ile dummies, which is average bloke, around 12 stone, average height. All current legal requirements are based on this size dummy, although changes are being led by OEM's to address the issue of smaller/larger occupants.
(It has nothing to do with airbag venting/gas type or propellant, purely the amount of available energy in the bag itself which remains constant!!) When we test our airbags, small female (5th %ile) and large fat bloke (95th %ile) dummy tests are carried out. An assesment is then made by the OEM upon crash/sled test results, and it is THEIR decicion upon what to sign off from airbag suppliers. Results from these tests are not normally as good as the average bloke dummy, but other factors must be considered.
A large bloke will take a lot more punishment than a small bloke, hence can withstand higher injuries. A small female will literally 'bounce' off an airbag as they have less forward momentum upon frontal crashing. The whole package at current is a trade-off governed by OEM's who try to give the best deal for all.
Verdict?
Don't switch 'em off unless you really have to! ALWAYS a minimum 12 inches between steering wheel on driver side, and further still for a passenger airbag.
If anyone has any concerns on airbags I'd be happy to discuss them, and If I can't help, I'm sure I know a man who can!
Cheers.

NITO

I hate airbags from personal experience. Both are now disconnected on my car and I have a much nicer 350mm Momo steering wheel residing where the drivers airbag used to be and a useful extra glovebox in place of the passenger one.

On my old Honda I sustained injuries from the airbag that I would otherwise not have had if the car had not been equipped. It was a pretty heavy collision with a combined speed of around 70mph. I sit reasonably far away from the steering wheel anyway but the force of the airbag deploying ripped my arm of the steering wheel which I was bracing myself with although counter steering at the same time which meant it was crossing the middle of the wheel, it pulled my arm away like it was nothing and smacked it against the window with such force that I fractured my wrist and it burnt a hole in my shirt. On top of that the airbag didn't even touch my face (just as well really as it's a rough canvas material and not a soft fluffy pillow as it appears on tv ads.) so I'd hate to think would sort of damage it could make to someone short who drives like they are eating the steering wheel and wearing glasses.

AFAIC definately wear a seatbelt, provided you are wearing this I don't think the airbag will actually help you in the majority of accidents. It has been proven to cause minor injuries where there would otherwise be none but they are claimed to be a small trade off in the event of a big smash...whatever..I've heard of many people suffering facial striations and blistered faces and much more from airbags. Remember a crash test dummy sits in the perfect position with arms at 10-2 etc...anyone see the TV programme with the guy who was adjusting his stereo when he crashed...it wasn't pretty.

Nito

NITO

p.s. My insurance company seemed quite happy about it, particularly when I reminded them that it would save circa 2K+ in the event of a large repair bill. Most places don't just replace the airbags in a smash but the sensors and control unit too, well they did on my honda at least, IIRC the airbags cost £600 each and due to being classed as explosives had to be shipped into the country with a 6 week wait!!

Stuart Page

iTrader: (4)

I think the above comments are pretty relevant, bottom line its down to personal preference. Providing insurance companies know, and both occupants are aware, (to avoid passengers sue-ing the pants off the driver) then go with what you are comfortable with.

It would also be interesting to hear comments from owners who wouldn't be here today if their airbag hadn't saved their life. Minor skirmishes aside, airbags statistically decrease serious life threatening injuries than if not fitted.

I heard through sources that Insurance companies preferred non-airbag vehicles as the occupants can't claim when they're deceased. This is another reason why premiums increase is that more people survive and have to claim for loss of work, long term injuries etc.

Where do you go from there!! Can't win em all!!

Personally I like the look on non-airbag wheels like Momo and the kits in which the whole wheel removes, as some airbag wheels are sooooo ugly! Experience would always lead me to get a driver airbag, but necessarily a passenger one.