Airbags

[mbeige]

An airbag, though... doesn't require participation from the buyer... you just buy it, and it works... or not. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't understand what the "SRS" means... it's supplementary... in other words, if you're not belted in and seated in the right position, even if the airbags go off, you can die. Period.

One other thing is that the 4 or 5 point harnesses are almost always fixed. So you cannot move around. And if you can, sobrang limited sila compared to the current 3 point belts.

I think some cars even have the airbags switched off if the passengers do not buckle up.

* Pup2: Standard lang to put driver airbag mostly because most of the time, vehicles are driven without any other passengers except the driver himself. The trend is towards 3 point belts for their ease of use as Niky pointed, and driver airbag as standard for its safety reasons as a supplementary restraint system (SRS), again as Niky said.

* Javoy: I'd rather pay for safety rather than regret it when it's too late.

Another cause of concern is side curtain airbags. This is a definite plus especially when being broadsided, especially large SUV's and trucks.

[Hayward]

Airbags should come as a standard accessory and not just as an option. This is an added supplementary safety feature to the mandatory seatbelts and it has been proven to have saved a lot of lives and limbs.

[VtEC]

dapat talaga kasama na yan kahit ano pang variant.diko nga din magets yan e (aside from the very basic na business yan).pero sa mga commercials nila after sila sa safety ng end users.hay naku, dapat magkaron ng law na lahat ng variant standard nayang airbag nayan.

[niky]

It depends... what are people willing to pay?

An airbag system adds, say, about 20-40,000 pesos to the price of the car.

If you want to be sure that the occupants are fully protected in the case of all injuries, then you need front airbags, side curtain airbags, and possibly knee-level airbags.

You've just added 100,000 pesos to the price of the base automobile.

And for safety's sake, let's make sure that the seatbelts are perfect... let's put a Mercedes-style computer controlled pre-tensioner that zips you upright when it senses an impending impact... and power seats that also put you in the upright position.

We've added another 40-60k worth of electronics and electric motors.

And now we have to be sure the crash structure will protect you. Add another 100k for extra stiffness... due to the cost of materials and such... maybe a rollcage-level stiffening.

At this point, your 600,000 pesos Vios or City now costs about 860,000... or your 800,000 peso Civic now costs 1 million (though the 2.0 at 1.1 already comes bundled with the side curtain airbags).

Some people are willing to pay more for the safety. Some aren't. If you make everything absolutely mandatory, a lot of people won't be able to afford the cars.

While personally, I believe in paying more for a safer car, every purchase is a calculated risk. It's up to the buyer to assess how much risk they want to take.

Besides... airbags are useless if the cars themselves aren't safe. A Chery QQ with two airbags is nowhere near as safe as a Kia Picanto with none. What we should actually do is make it mandatory for all manufacturers to post their EuroNCAP or NHTSA scores on the windows of their cars, so customers know where their money is going... and force them to offer airbags and ABS as a dealer-installed option, or give manufacturers a tax break on all ABS and airbag equipped vehicles equivalent to the taxes incurred due to the price increase required to add said equipment.

[mbeige]

Risk assessment is another matter. Realistically you can't really tell what's going to happen during your daily commute so we cannot really predict how safe or how dangerous our cars can get. I feel safe generally, but when things go wrong sometimes it really goes wrong.

We all take risks whatever we do. Those who aren't willing to pay more for safety will probably regret it. I hope they will never experience it, as do I hope we will never experience anything we fear.

When buying a car though, you cannot really opt to have reinforced crash structures. It basically comes with the car. So if you want a compact car, you have to deal with its crumple zones and crashworthiness rather than try to modify it to your liking. If you want better crumple zones, or other safety features, get a larger, more equipped vehicle with better safety features than the one you originally laid your eyes on.

I'm not one to say that not everybody should own a car but look at what Singapore did, or look at how other countries mandate safety features. In other countries, if the car does not come with airbags or ABS, or other safety features, it will not be sold - period. In those countries the car manufacturers and/or the government probably do not want to be held responsible for selling you a car with no airbags, and then realize thereafter that you got into a fatal accident that could have been averted with the use of airbags and the like. Who is to blame now? So if the car manufacturer or its dealers give customers the freedom to buy a car with no airbags or other safety features for that matter, at least they should understand the risks and that these risks should be made known to the customers. Usually when you just want a base model they will not stress the importance of the added safety features. Another problem is that not everybody understands the risks they take, which goes back to my original statement: risk management is another matter.

In hindsight, however, I think the reason why airbags are not usually mandated there is because a lot of the driving is done in cities and city speeds. While airbags supplement the seatbelts, often times the seatbelts are sufficient enough to restrain the passengers in these low speed impacts. If you took this issue to Germany where the ultimate highways exist in the form of the Autobahn, then I guess airbags are mandatory because one, people can afford them and two, the high speed driving necessitates the use of airbags.

I guess for me seatbelts and crumple zones are sufficient enough for city driving. However, airbags are good to have as a just-in-case basis. If you needed it, at least it was there. If not, at least you still have peace of mind it's there. The reason is that airbags only deploy at certain types of impacts. Pole impacts usually do not trigger the airbags so the crumple zones and the engine itself simply absorb the impact forces. Airbags also only go off at certain speeds because at lower speeds, the seatbelts are enough and/or the impacts won't be as severe at those lower speeds anyway. Finally, airbags work in conjunction with seatbelts to restrain you and prevent your head from sustaining injuries. As with security features like car alarms, keyless entry, etc these safety systems also overlap each other and provide a layer of safety over you. If one fails to do its job, the other should perform well so as to prevent any harm from befalling you. Otherwise, what's the use of safety systems if they don't work in tandem with each other?

[tidus1203]

This is strictly my opinion. I think airbags in Philippine driving conditions (especially if you only drive within Metro Manila, given our slow speed and stop and go nature) are not worth the price of admission. IMO a good sturdy seatbelt will do the trick and of course a good body structure for the car. If its standard then good but if I have to pay P50K for it never mind.....

[boybi]

This is strictly my opinion. I think airbags in Philippine driving conditions (especially if you only drive within Metro Manila, given our slow speed and stop and go nature) are not worth the price of admission. IMO a good sturdy seatbelt will do the trick and of course a good body structure for the car. If its standard then good but if I have to pay P50K for it never mind.....

That is if you will only be driving your car within the secondary streets of Metro Manila. But if you'll use it in the major thoroughfares like EDSA, Roxas Blvd., C5, or SSHW, where you reach speeds above 80kph in non-peak hours, do you think your life isn't worth the extra P50K?

[tidus1203]

I just answered on my previous post and I stand by it. I am not forcing anyone to position on my beliefs.

[1D4LV]

yes, i would agree. even though rolling it out is quite expensive in part of the manufacturers, it should be a standard because of safety aspects.

[mbeige]

Tidus, I hope the day won't come that you'll be milliseconds away from a fatal life changing event that you won't regret for the rest of your life.

Air bags are good to have, that's why they're SRS - supplementary restraint systems - to aid in providing safety to the driver on top of the seatbelts, crumple zones, ABS brakes, etc. Seatbelts are fine in slow traffic, but if you take to the high speeds, or if somebody is wreckless and slams into you head-on, you'll realize you're not always in control, and that's where airbags come in.

Just imagine, you're driving 40kph and it's a pretty slow speed. The other car driving on the opposite lane veers into yours at the same speed - 40kph. The speed at impact is obviously doubled, 80kph, which merits airbag usage. If you don't have one you'll probably hit the steering wheel if the belts don't restrain you enough, or worse you'll hit the windshield despite being belted.

[tidus1203]

^^Hay nako nilagay ko lang opinyon ko and you guys lecture me. Pre matanda na rin ako I have been driving for some time na din (long enough to know how people drive around here in Metro Manila, if you had experience elsewhere then I can't relate since I live, work in Metro Manila and all my friends and relatives live here as well so I don't go elsewhere) so I know what I am doing.... People say eh malalaman mo na kung nangyari na yung aksidente, you guys sound like life insurance salesman (joke) And yes as I stated before and I will state it again if its standard then its very much welcome, but if I have to pay for it then no I won't get it. PEACE and yeah if it makes you feel secure then go get that airbag.