One of the largest causes of fatalities for young people and adults alike is automotive accidents. With this statistic becoming more and more known, car manufacturers are making their efforts to increase the safety of their cars. In addition to seatbelts, anti-lock braking systems, and reinforced doors and panels, manufacturers have begun to use head and side airbags as well. Connely Ford dealership presents here some of the benefits of side and head airbags.


Benefits of Airbags
There are many benefits to head and side airbags. Airbags prevent ejection from the driver or passenger seat in the case of a rollover accident. Newer head and side airbag systems in cars are an integral part of the safety system of cars.

With older airbag systems, in side impact accidents or fish tailed accidents, passengers would be unprotected. Currently, there are smarter side airbags that know exactly when to inflate and with how much force to inflate that protect passengers during side impact accidents. These head and side airbags not only offer protection to the head and sides but offer protection to the chest and torso area. Many car manufacturers offer chest airbags in the back seat in addition to the front seat. This added protection can potentially save many lives.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration currently does not have standards for head and side airbags. However, there are two international organizations that set standards for safety features in cars, as well as a host of other features in a car. The workings of these new head and side airbags are rated using crash dummies in test accidents. Cars are impacted from the side, and analysts examine how well the airbag system works for the driver, and for the passenger.

Currently, 19 manufacturers in the United States are taking a test from these international organizations to define a universal standard. Safety technology in motor vehicles is changing constantly, and it’s very hard to keep up with all the changes and additions in automotive safety. Head and side airbags are a relatively new technology, and some manufacturers still don’t have these installed in all their vehicles.

The newest airbag technologies are smarter than ever. The car determines the nature of the accident that the car is in, and then decides what to do; whether or not to inflate, how far to inflate, and how long the airbag should stay inflated. Ask your Connely Ford dealership to provide you with further information on airbags for a particular Ford.