Repair Costs - Newbie question
03-26-2008, 11:43 AM
#20
Nordschleife Master
03-26-2008, 11:53 AM
#21
Racer
Join Date: Feb 2008
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it decreases the severity of the crash....slows down the speed your body travels and increases the surface area of the body's impact......right?
03-26-2008, 12:04 PM
#22
Rennlist Member
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There is good info from a number of insurance groups showing that having an airbag reduces fatalities in the event of accidents. You also want to use BOTH seat belts and air bags as there is debate that airbags without seat belts may be as bad as no airbags and no seat belts.
Here's a quote from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
"People who use their safety belts may think they do not need airbags. But they do. In serious frontal crashes, the occupant compartment and the people riding inside do not stop immediately, but continue moving forward as the vehicle's front end crushes. Frontal airbags are designed to work with lap/shoulder belts to protect the heads and chests of occupants from hitting the steering wheel, instrument panel, or windshield. If people hit these surfaces hard, they can sustain serious or fatal injuries to the head and chest. By keeping people from hitting these interior surfaces, airbags are providing important additional protection that is maximized when used in conjunction with safety belts. The additional protection of airbags can be even more important in side impacts where a properly belted occupant can still be struck by an intruding vehicle or object. Side airbags that offer head protection are particularly important because they may be the only thing between an occupant's head and the front of a striking vehicle or a tree that's being struck."
If you want to know how much they cost to replace, figure out your part number from the PET catalog, page 186. It looks like the driver's side (96434708903) is in the neighborhood of $1000 and the passenger's (96480307101) is almost $2000. You can tell my widow that I thought that was too expensive.
