mcdanjw

Are the side impact airbags in our cars designed to protect the torso only or the torso and head?

This article on Reutuers is interesting...Article on Side Airbags

Linner

i think its so that the glass doesnt get in your eye when it shatters

sidemarker

the glass should not shatter...

sidemarker

Aquineas

I'm going from information I saw on Autoweek a couple months back, but it looked to me in the demonstration that unless your car has side-curtain airbags, then it's torso only. The head protection came from side-curtain airbags which are usually deployed from the A, B, and C pillars (as opposed to the sides of the seats, which is where the side-impact airbags deploy from). Usually a car will specifically note if it has side-curtain airbags as well as side-impact.

mattg

the only glass that won't shatter is the windshield.

LiQiCE

Is this the difference between Side Impact airbags and Side Curtain Airbags? ... Our cars only have Side Impact, but the newer TL and the new Accords have side curtains. Not sure if thats the difference or not tho.

EDIT- Oops, looks like Aquineas already answered it

sham

Your windshield is designed not to let objects come in or out. The other windows are supposed to shatter though.
Also, the side curtain airbags are supposed to sorta come down from above the window and kinda protect your head from violent movements and such. I think the airbags we have in our cars are to protect our torsos in side impacts.

einsatz

There have been a few members that have posted pics of their CLs after a crash and the side airbag is pretty small. It comes out the side around elbow level . The seam of the side bolster seels to split open and that's where it comes out from. It stays low and it goes nowhere near your head!

Windshields are actually two pieces of safety glass with a plastic sheet in between. This is what makes the glass just frost but stay in place. From the inside it'll crack/frost and dent, but not shatter and blow into zillions of bits, like the safety glass on the windows would.

KavexTrax

The windows do definitely shatter, reference the many many vandalism pics from our members. :thinking:

I think a news investigation team once reported that vandals use porcelin tipped objects that can easily shatter glass.

NOVAwhiteTypeS

dont know but I have head protection side curtain airbags and side airbags with shatterproof windows.

A friend of mines side airbag went off and she came out harmless but the car was totaled

einsatz

The windows do, the windshield shouldn't.

They sell little window puncture tools that look like pens. It's standard equipment in ambulances. It's got a spring loaded pin at the tip. You press that hard against the corner of a window and the thing will make the entire safety glass break into zillions of pieces. You try it on a widshield and you'll just make a hole.