rear side airbags

[James Gould]

should I choose the rear side airbags option in the 5-door? kids are 11, 7 and 2  -  mixed opinions out there....some say they are good, some say that if the kids are sitting too close to the windows/doors, the airbags can cause serious injury  -  most of the time, the kids are 'in position' but I guess it would be dangerous if they fell asleep and their head tilted towards the windows  -  I have a feeling that the view from the forum community will be that whilst there are risks, the dangers of not having them are greater than the risks of having them  -  put the baby chair in the middle and the older kids at the sides? I guess a danger of having the 11 yr old at one side and 7 yr old in the middle is that the rear side airbag could knock the 11 yr old into the 7 yr old?? Apparently, if the kids have their heads at an angle when the bag inflates, it can cause serious neck injuries  -  all that said, surely the rear side airbags are at a level of sophistication etc by now that the risks associated with them even 3 or 4 years ago have been taken into account in the development of what we have now??

[mac7]

Airbags help to reduce injuries (mostly minor ones). Their pluses outweigh the negatives. Making sure your kids are safe is hugely important but at the end of the day if someone slams into the side of you, their injuries are going to be in the hands of fate regardless of airbags. Whiplash is often easier to overcome than a deep penetrating wound to the torso.

[James Gould]

got to be  -  sadly, there are reports of car accidents which have produced terrible injuries BECAUSE OF seat bealts but no-one in their right mind would suggest leaving seat belts off because of a one in a million chance of the belt increasing the risk  -  thnx

[Spartacus]

I have specced the rear side airbags on my GTI for the same reason.

I was expecting to see them in the doors but they are in fact in the side of the supports next to the seat backs so would 'explode' outwards.

[James Gould]

isn't that exactly what we, as parents, thinking of the kids in the back of the car, don't want?!

[mac7]

They come forwards from the sides of the seat to produce a cushion between the door and the occupant. Same at the front. If your small child is in a well designed car seat with side bolsters they won't be touched. The airbag deploying will push any arms or anything else in the way forward and assuming the limb is attached to a person, inwards away from the door - which is safe.

If a child had its head leaned against the door trim I guess they could sustain a whiplash type injury. However if they are restrained by a seatbelt it will prove difficult to do that, so again, the airbag will deploy safely.

The risk of injury to a child from an airbag deployment is tiny compared to the risk of injury from an impact sufficient to cause the airbags to deploy in the first place.

[James Gould]

Thanks

[keelaw]

you can spec rear side airbags?


erm.... i went for the xenons and the big alloys instead.... 

[James Gould]

Rear side airbags in the 5-door - I prefer the 3 door but got to go with the safety options...

[Spartacus]

you can spec rear side airbags?


erm.... i went for the xenons and the big alloys instead.... 

When you have kids you will understand