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Originally Posted by JBR
I saw a program a while back and its theme was the future used car market.
With the air bag saftey system well past 10yrs from introduction. Many many used cars will be sold with air bag systems well past the intended life spand.
Installing a new system will cost more than what the car is worth. So most people will not update thier system. The big concerns are, will the air bag deploy on impact or will it deploy on its own as you are driving down the road?
On this program they stated many times when the air bag would deploy on its own, which in some cases caused accidents. Some deployed while sitting in the driveway. I think this issue will start getting alot more attention in the next 5 yrs. when the systems are getting even older.
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I don't think an airbag blasting me in the face would cause an accident. Once while in the middle of a takeoff roll I had a door pop open on the rented Cessna 172 I was flying. It scared the hell out of me but I managed to keep composed enough to keep the aircraft under control and close the door once I got the plane higher off the ground.
Its highly unlikely that recent airbags will deploy on their own. While it could happen and could scare the hell out of you if you don't throw your hands in the air and start screaming hysterically you can maintain control of the car and pull over to do some really good swearing.
The automotive industry for years has been trying to introduce the concept of the disposable car. In a lot of cases the scare mongering about airbags is just another thing to scare you out of an older car and into a new car.