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JCE · #37 05-30-2006, 11:42 AM

I recall an article in the early 60s (in Road and Track?), that discussed the issues of then-new airbags. The issues seemed to be that there would be a lot of potential for hearing damage and/or personal injury from the designs at that time, but the biggest concern was reliance on an 'active' system for safety rather than a 'passive' system like the seat belts of the time - no tensioners or roll up systems, just a fixed belt system. If I remember right, the author(s) felt that even if an active system were 99.995% reliable, there would still be a few hundred occasions every year of either bags failing to deploy when needed, or deploying when not wanted. The conclusion was that air bags should always be considered a secondary system, and seat belts the primary system. (After tires, brakes, car mechanical condition, driving skills and physical/mental condition of the driver, IMHO)

The article also discussed the seatbelts of the time, and maintained that weakening from UV solar radiation, air pollution, and mechanical abrasion from embedded dust particles meant that seat belts should be replaced at no more than 10 year intervals, and more frequently in harsh environments. My 87 seat belts also have explosive charge tensioners, and explosives can likewise degrade over time. So I replaced my driver side belt/tensioner several years ago, and was pretty amazed at how much softer and more flexible the new belt felt compared to the old one. The new belt/tensioner system was sold as a single unit for about $150, a fraction of the cost of a new air bag.

Personally, before I would replace the air bag for $900, I would spend the money on a good performance driving class with a strong accident-avoidance emphasis.