is side airbag important in a car?

Question

im looking for my first car. i like the matrix a lot but the thing is it doesnt come standard with side airbag i can only buy used

Answer 1

side is pretty useful unless you want a head with red when you get an a car crash try this link

Answer 2

Generally, yeah, the car will be a lot safer with them than without.

I think there are SOME cars that do well in side crashes without side airbags, but that usually isn't the case. And even in those cars, the side airbag can be a lifesaver if the car were to roll, because it makes sure that you don't end up having your head or arms outside the car when your window hits the ground.

Answer 3

"yes cause what if you have a bad crash and you have no seat belt on"

NO! BAD!

My first car was a 1993 Ford Probe GT. It had all the airbags that were available (also the standard number): one. That airbag, in conjunction with WEARING MY D*** SEATBELT saved my life. No fancy seatbelt pretensioners. No side/passenger/knee airbags.

The reason airbags are called "Supplemental Restraint Systems" is that they don't REPLACE seatbelts, they COMPLEMENT them.

In every deadly wreck with teenagers I've heard of around here lately (and there's been a lot), all of the fatalities have been not wearing seatbelts.

I will also note that while fancy-pants airbags are nice, you CAN get along without them. Further, if you are truly convinced you can afford to spend the extra money, then buy a used car that came with the optional airbags, and be certain to keep them maintained by qualified personel according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Answer 4

I like Ian's answer the best. The more airbag protection you have , the safer you could be if you are in an accident. The truth about all the airbags and the 5 star rating can be read at this blog. It's a pretty rude awakening.
http://blog.airbagsolutions.com/archive/2007/07/10/5-stars.how-safe-is-that.aspx

Buy the best car you can for what you can afford and don't use side airbags as the barometer for safety. The bottom line is, it';s the drivers out there, you and them that will save your life
PS look what's coming...rear airbags
http://blog.airbagsolutions.com/archive/2007/11/06/now-theyve-done-it.aspx

Answer 5

They are very important. When a car is hit from the side, it takes a much stronger blow than it does during a frontal collision, since there is less room in the door to absorb the impact. Also, the seatbelts are often less effective in restrainting lateral movements, and the body is generally more voulnrable to it. The common injuries are broken arms and broken ribs above the pelvic and under the armpit (where the arm gets squeezed between the torso and door) as well as neck and head injuries that are prevented by curtain airbags. We are talking dozens of precents more in side protection! In modern cars, I would treat it as a deal breaker...

Answer 6

Initial analyses of the efficacy of side airbags suggest they have reduced deaths among passenger car drivers involved in driver-side collisions by about 45 percent when the side airbag included head protection and by 11 percent when the side airbag was designed to protect only the torso.

Answer 7

"j.c." has got it DEAD WRONG. Airbags do not replace seatbelts.

Seatbelts are designed to keep the passenger and driver, firmly in their seats in a collision.

Airbags are deployed to prevent someone's head or chest from hitting parts of the interior of the car.

Anyone who does not wear their seatbelt because he thinks the airbags will protect him from flying out of the car may find out the hard way just how DEAD wrong he is.

Answer 8

Side airbags (or any for that matter) are important, only when the car is hit. Its a choice.

Answer 9

Yes. Just in case you get hit in the side of the car. the one in the steering wheel wouldn't do anything to help preventing brain damage.

Answer 10

yeah its pretty important i would get it in any car i have cause u never know if u get hit in the side and your head slams into the window