Side Impact Airbags...

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
We didn't talk about that because we only had a few minutes at the time. He didn't have a manual in the vehicle--said it was going to be crash-tested in a couple of months :D.
 
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henrietta

Well-known member
"Does anyone have a vehicle with SIA in the backseat? What does the manual say pertaining to child restraints?"

If I remember correctly (manual is in dh's car, at work), our '98 VW Passat's manual says to refer to the carseat's manual about airbags, except in reference to a carseat placed rearfacing in the front seat in front of an airbag (don't do it!) and to point out that if you *must* place a ff'ing carseat in the front, to slide the seat all the way back.

In calling Evenflo, they said to first refer to the car's manual, and if it didn't say not to put a carseat next to the sia's, they had *no problem* with their carseats being placed next to them. The cs rep I spoke with said that those airbags deploy at a slower speed and do not intrude into the space someone *should be* sitting in. As long as the carseat is properly installed and the child is in it properly, they are fine. And yes, she understood the difference b/t side curtain and side impact airbags.

So, we have no problem with ds riding in the back with the sia's. When it's possible, we install his carseat in the center, but two of his previous seats wouldn't install in the center, so he was outboard for a while.

I couldn't find anything that proved that it was unsafe or less safe for the properly installed carseat to be put next to the sia's.

hths

henrietta
 

twokidstwodogs

New member
So would you need to watch out for anything special when installing a carseat (thinking a three across situation here) or would it never enter into the space?

It depends on the age of the car, but in general, there is little to worry about.

About a decade or so ago, there was some concern about side impact airbags (torso kind, not curtains) next to carseats. The concern was mostly theoretical, and few cars even had them at the time--mostly European cars. Data showed that problems were possible, though there was little evidence that any injuries had resulted.

Anyway, some folks developed something called the Technical Working Group Standard for Out-of-Position Occupants. It's a voluntary standard that requires manufacturers to test the safety of their side impact airbags when a person is out of position next to them (e.g., leaning on the door). Airbags that meet that standard should not deploy with enough force to cause any problems for a child in a carseat next to them. And I think that by now, nearly all manufacturers who offer cars with rear side impact airbags have met that standard. (I know that as of 2006, Volvo, Audi, and VW have. I'd be shocked if BMW and Mercedes hadn't done the same.) Older cars with rear side impact airbags may not have met the standard, but there's still no real data showing that it is unsafe to install a seat next to them.

As Darren has said, side curtain (head protection) airbags pose very little risk to anyone and potentially provide crucial benefits. For our last two cars, side curtain airbags for all rows of passengers were a "must-have".

Edited to add: You can find out whether a given car's side impact airbags meet the standards by going to the NHTSA site, www.safercar.gov. Pull up the crash test ratings for the car, and then click on the car's name to go to the screen where it gives more details. Toward the bottom on the right, there's an entry for "SAB Out-of-Position Testing". If it says, "meets specifications" next to it, it should be perfectly safe to install a seat next to it.
 
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