If safety is high on your list of priorities you will want a
vehicle that offers as many safety features as possible.
Airbags
Advanced Frontal Airbags
Advanced frontal airbags are required in all vehicles and light trucks
produced after September 1, 2006. Vehicles with advanced airbag systems
can detect the following:
- Occupant weight. (If children are detected in the front,
the airbag may be suppressed or deploy with less force.)
- Seat position. (The distance between occupants and the airbag.)
- Occupant seat-belt use.
- Crash severity. If a relatively low severity crash is sensed,
only the lowest stage of a dual-stage inflator will fill the airbag.
If a more severe crash is sensed, both stages fill the airbag, inflating
it at a higher level.
Side Airbags
Side airbags are designed to protect the head and upper torso
during a side collision.
Some side airbags are located in the door itself, while others
deploy through a seam in the door side of the seat.
Side-Curtain Airbags
Deployed from the ceiling across the front and rear side windows,
side curtain airbags prevent occupants from hitting their heads and
shield them from flying debris, such as glass. They can also help
passengers from being ejected in rollovers.
Although airbags can provide life-saving benefits, some airbag
deployment situations can have adverse effects — for instance, when
occupants are unbelted or sitting too close to the airbag when it
deploys. To reduce the risk of injury from an airbag, remember the following.
- Always wear your seat belt. In the event of a crash, seat belts
are designed to keep you inside the vehicle and reduce the risk that
you will collide with the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield.
- Keep approximately 10 inches or more between your breastbone and
the frontal airbag.
- Never place a rear-facing infant seat in the front seat with a
passenger side airbag — even a reduced force airbag — unless the airbag
On-Off switch is in the OFF position.
* Infants and children can be seriously injured or killed if the airbag inflates.
- Keep children 12 years old and younger in the back seat.
Make sure they are properly restrained in a seat belt or size
and weight-appropriate child safety seat.
* On-Off switches are not available for all vehicles. You can get
a brochure about these switches as well as an installation request form
from local vehicle dealerships, state motor vehicle offices and NHTSA.
See
Additional Safety Considerations for more information.
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