air bags are bad????????

[vladj]

so a while ago i was cought speeding (130km/h in an 100km/h zone). so to keep my lisence i had to take a defensive driving course. i just got back from taking it and i have a question. the instractor was telling us how air bags are bad and how many people he saw get hurt by them. he said they are only good when u have ur seatbelt on and the timing is right and its fully deployed by the time ur head gets there.otherwise it can harm the driver becuase the body it going front doing 100km.h and it explodes doing 300km/h and it can really damage the body. he also said that its better to hit the steering wheel then to hit the air bag since its sitting still and is not coming at u. is this true or is he an idiot, cuz if it is true im ordering a new steering wheel ASAP since i hate the stock one.

discuss:

[slyderdai]

I have been involved in two accidents (as a passenger) where the airbags went off after the accident was over. The first one was after i was out of the car and it deployed. We were like wtf? The second crash Again as a passenger we slipp off the snowy road into a sign sideways. The impact was on my side of the truck just in front of the rear wheels. We came to rest after 3 or 4 spins in the field. As i was attempting to undo my seat belt the air bag went off. It felt like running face first into a brick wall, Or getting knocked out by Mike F*cking Tyson! Needless to say it broke my nose and fractured my jaw. I have always worn my seatbelt and I always will. I however will not be a front seat passenger in any vehicle that doesn't have the ability to shut the passenger side airbag off.

[Whiplash]

When I got rear ended in my tiburon the airbag went off when it was supposed to and it caught my forehead. I probably would have hit the steering wheel if it didn't deploy.

[only1db]

it all has to do with seat position and if the seat belt is in the correct spot on your chest...

[2001VE]

In a side impact even a seat belt could technically hold you in place and cause your death. It's about percentages and probability. Most accidents involve front or rear impact, which makes seat belts a good bet. Lots of deaths are from head injuries, and air bags try to protect heads. Not a perfect system , bad luck means your're smoked anyway.

[Tommy]

they might be a little over rated, and may cause injuries, but i believe the statistics say an 8% reduction in fatalities is due standard airbags. Not a lot, but worth the hassle of a broken nose in a minor wreck for a better chance at surviving a major one.

seat belts are still, and probably always will be the real life savers, but i tack that up with people who ride motorcycles without helmets, its you're head, if you wanna see what the insides look like, be my guest, survivalism at its best.

[sciphi]

An air bag scratched my wrist. It didn't need to go off, but did anyhow.

[murda-c]

I discarded my airbag for a nardi steering wheel.

plus i sit really far back anyway, because i like my legs almost straight when i drive.

also i accidentally unplugged my fron airbag sensor when i was test fitting my bumper for an intercooler.