Thanks for the input guys!
I'm not too worried about it being a distraction now that I feel confident that it isn't a problem.
As for the affects of age, I'm not too concerned there either. I always wear my seatbelt which I believe does 90% or more of the job in protecting you in a crash so even if the bag doesn't deploy, I should still be fine. I've lived through a couple of crashes where airbags weren't a factor (either not there or side impact) so in a W126 tank I should be fine regardless.
Not that I'm looking to run into anything, mind you
jlc