Side airbags have been blowing off in frontal crashes for years now. While some vehicles take the principle overboard, many vehicles are deploying their driver side curtain airbags in the IIHS offset test, due to the side movement. Here's ten reasons that deploying this side's curtain airbags can be a good idea: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
I'm going to try to settle the question of whether frontal airbags are likely beneficial or detrimental in side impacts. The primary purpose of NHTSA's side impact (from 1994-2010) was to measure thorax injury, so I'm going to compare cars with side and curtain airbag deployments for my control group. I will average the Thoracic Trauma Index for all vehicles with frontal airbag deployment in addition to side airbag deployment, and average the Thoracic Trauma Index for all vehicles with just side and curtain airbag deployment.
I have a hunch that today's advanced airbags are not harmful to most occupants in side impacts, so I will also compare vehicles with no side airbags and frontal airbag deployment against vehicles with no airbag deployment altogether.
The side airbag test group will consist of 2008 models for the no front airbag group and 2007-2009 models for the front airbag group. This is to get a larger sample size for front airbag deployments, as they are in the minority.
The no side airbag test group will consist of 2002 models for the no front airbag group and 2001-2003 models for the front airbag group.
Individual cases will be used as well.
For the side airbag (2008) test group:
Average TTI, no front airbag: 44.3 - 37 vehicles - Range 18 to 66 with an outlier of 86
Average TTI, front airbag - 40.6 - 14 vehicles - Range 17 to 70
It is clear that in recent vehicles with side airbags and advanced frontal airbags, front airbag deployment poses little risk and may actually be slightly beneficial. The torsos of all 14 driver dummies were not unduly loaded, and the faces were not hit.
Front airbag deployment CAN be harmful to a small driver sitting far forward in a side impact, however advanced airbags can mitigate this risk.
It is also worthy to note that 44.3 and 40.6 are very low TTIs corresponding to a ~1% risk of severe injury. The state of side impact crashworthiness was very good for most vehicles by 2008.
The no side airbag test group will be in a later post.
I'm going to try to settle the question of whether frontal airbags are likely beneficial or detrimental in side impacts. The primary purpose of NHTSA's side impact (from 1994-2010) was to measure thorax injury, so I'm going to compare cars with side and curtain airbag deployments for my control group. I will average the Thoracic Trauma Index for all vehicles with frontal airbag deployment in addition to side airbag deployment, and average the Thoracic Trauma Index for all vehicles with just side and curtain airbag deployment.
I have a hunch that today's advanced airbags are not harmful to most occupants in side impacts, so I will also compare vehicles with no side airbags and frontal airbag deployment against vehicles with no airbag deployment altogether.
The side airbag test group will consist of 2008 models for the no front airbag group and 2007-2009 models for the front airbag group. This is to get a larger sample size for front airbag deployments, as they are in the minority.
The no side airbag test group will consist of 2002 models for the no front airbag group and 2001-2003 models for the front airbag group.
Individual cases will be used as well.
For the side airbag (2008) test group:
Average TTI, no front airbag: 44.3 - 37 vehicles - Range 18 to 66 with an outlier of 86
Average TTI, front airbag - 40.6 - 14 vehicles - Range 17 to 70
It is clear that in recent vehicles with side airbags and advanced frontal airbags, front airbag deployment poses little risk and may actually be slightly beneficial. The torsos of all 14 driver dummies were not unduly loaded, and the faces were not hit.
Front airbag deployment CAN be harmful to a small driver sitting far forward in a side impact, however advanced airbags can mitigate this risk.
It is also worthy to note that 44.3 and 40.6 are very low TTIs corresponding to a ~1% risk of severe injury. The state of side impact crashworthiness was very good for most vehicles by 2008.
The no side airbag test group will be in a later post.
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