VW Jetta SportWagon

133 messages, Last post on Nov 05, 2009 at 4:53 AM

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#132 of 133 Re: Rear Air Bags [jogousa] by veryhrm Nov 04, 2009 (3:06 pm)
Replying to: jogousa (Nov 04, 2009 1:17 pm) The two pages you link are hardly comparable: The NHTSA page is two paragraphs of the boilerplate language that has been said about airbags for a good 10 or 15 years. The only specifics it mentions are rear-facing child seats in the front seat. It doesn't mention side impact airbags at all. Further there is no date on the page or any sources or references. On the other hand, the IIHS page is considerably more detailed and it explicitly addresses side impact air bags and even rear seat side impact airbags. It also cites sources and has a date on it showing it to be relatively current (Mar 2009). The only thing on this whole page that i can find that can be construed to support the anti-air-bag position is this sentence: "Like frontal airbags, side airbags have the potential to cause injury. However, side airbags typically are smaller and deploy with less energy than frontal airbags." This is then offset by several paragraphs that say it only was ever considered to be an issue with kids who aren't belted in and that even those have been addressed, AND, as mentioned in my previous post, that the NHTSA has record of only one child ever being hurt by a side airbag. Thus, as to the question on the table: "Should i get rear airbags and enable them in my VW if i have kids/grand-kids?" the answer is a nearly unqualified "yes". (It's only qualified by the statement that "i am not a lawyer or safety professional of any sort. YMMV.") For anyone still reading this, one of the sites linked from the iihs page is for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers' " Blue Ribbon Panel for the Evaluation of Advanced Technology Airbag". (http://www.brpadvancedairbags.org/). The bulk of it is about front impact air-bags, but the slides for one of the presentations: http://brpadvancedairbags.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/mullen-advanced-occupan- t-protection-systems.pdf has some pictures on page 8 of the starting position for some of the oop (out of position) testing that they do for side air-bags. Too bad the text / comments aren't included. Replies to this message: elias (Nov 05, 2009 4:53 am)
#133 of 133 Re: Rear Air Bags [veryhrm] by elias Nov 05, 2009 (4:53 am)
Replying to: veryhrm (Nov 04, 2009 3:06 pm) there might be a discussion thread elsewhere on edmunds about airbags? the issue goes way beyond any particular VW or any one brand. if you really want to do your homework , try to find the individual case reports on NHTSA about the few hundred kids decapitated or paralyzed by airbags in low-speed/minor collisions. also consider the fact that it was NHTSA & their federal ilk who mandated the airbags that killed/maimed those kids, and take their posterior-covering analyses with an extra grain of salt because of that.

#132 of 133: Re: Rear Air Bags [jogousa] by veryhrm; Nov 04, 2009 (3:06 pm)

Replying to: jogousa (Nov 04, 2009 1:17 pm)

The two pages you link are hardly comparable:

The NHTSA page is two paragraphs of the boilerplate language that has been said about airbags for a good 10 or 15 years. The only specifics it mentions are rear-facing child seats in the front seat. It doesn't mention side impact airbags at all. Further there is no date on the page or any sources or references.

On the other hand, the IIHS page is considerably more detailed and it explicitly addresses side impact air bags and even rear seat side impact airbags. It also cites sources and has a date on it showing it to be relatively current (Mar 2009). The only thing on this whole page that i can find that can be construed to support the anti-air-bag position is this sentence: "Like frontal airbags, side airbags have the potential to cause injury. However, side airbags typically are smaller and deploy with less energy than frontal airbags." This is then offset by several paragraphs that say it only was ever considered to be an issue with kids who aren't belted in and that even those have been addressed, AND, as mentioned in my previous post, that the NHTSA has record of only one child ever being hurt by a side airbag.

Thus, as to the question on the table: "Should i get rear airbags and enable them in my VW if i have kids/grand-kids?" the answer is a nearly unqualified "yes".

(It's only qualified by the statement that "i am not a lawyer or safety professional of any sort. YMMV.")

For anyone still reading this, one of the sites linked from the iihs page is for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers' " Blue Ribbon Panel for the Evaluation of Advanced Technology Airbag". (http://www.brpadvancedairbags.org/). The bulk of it is about front impact air-bags, but the slides for one of the presentations: http://brpadvancedairbags.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/mullen-advanced-occupan- t-protection-systems.pdf has some pictures on page 8 of the starting position for some of the oop (out of position) testing that they do for side air-bags. Too bad the text / comments aren't included.

elias (Nov 05, 2009 4:53 am)

#133 of 133: Re: Rear Air Bags [veryhrm] by elias; Nov 05, 2009 (4:53 am)

Replying to: veryhrm (Nov 04, 2009 3:06 pm)

there might be a discussion thread elsewhere on edmunds about airbags?
the issue goes way beyond any particular VW or any one brand.

if you really want to do your homework , try to find the individual case reports on NHTSA about the few hundred kids decapitated or paralyzed by airbags in low-speed/minor collisions.

also consider the fact that it was NHTSA & their federal ilk who mandated the airbags that killed/maimed those kids, and take their posterior-covering analyses with an extra grain of salt because of that.