Airbags with older children. On or off?
 

Hi all. What is the consensus regarding older children when sitting in the front. Airbags activated or not?

I ask as my tall 9 year old son outgrew boosters a while back, and occasionally rides shotgun.

Up to now we’ve deactivated the passenger airbag, but I’ve given it some more thought of late and can’t find a definitive yay or nay online in the usual places.

All the best. John.

Not that I have any knowledge around this topic, but my common sense (which isn’t always reliable!) says why wouldn’t you use an air bag if the passenger is too big for a booster? Doesn’t that mean that he’s big enough for an air bag.

If he were my kid, I’d either activate the bag or sit him in the back.

Hi. Good point.

I’ve read of airbags causing more harm than good with very short people, who typically sit closer to the things. There are recorded cases of airbags causing deaths in children.

Some time ago, I think I recall learning that airbags are designed for and are most effective for people around the average height.

But now I’m thinking if he has to sit in the front, because he and his sibling are being ‘very trying’ I will activate the airbag.

My understanding is that you would only disable the front passenger airbag in the event of placing a child in a child seat on the front seat. Especially those child seats that have the occupant facing backwards.
Apart from that there are issues with small people having their seats sufficiently forward so as to put them at risk in the event of an airbag deploying. This goes for both the driver and the passenger.
IIRC Audi recommend that front seat passengers have their seats as far rearward as possible. While, of course, being able to hold the top of the steering wheel and use the pedals.

I don't know about the D3 but I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that the D2 passenger airbag was to the full size US non-seatbelt specification! I.E. designed to restrain/protect an adult NOT wearing a seat belt.

Anyway, I'd still follow the advice above, you ONLY (and MUST) disable the airbag when there's a rear-facing child seat installed. Not to do so is actually illegal.

As for risk, it's a balance. The airbag is a violent remedy than can cause some harm in extreme circumstances but is designed (and tested) to mitigate greater harm if it's not used. On balance I'd use it.
My Volvo is awash with the things; I just hope they're never needed, but I expect to be grateful for them if I do.

ROSPA is a bit ambiguous about forward-facing child seats with an airbag but NOT about anyone larger not in a child seat.

I have some professional knowledge on this subject, albeit somewhat out of date as I've not worked on child restraints or airbags for a good 10 years....

Passenger airbags in the front aren't strictly necessary - they came about through marketing and demand for 'equal' protection to the driver (ignoring the fact that the driver has a steering wheel in front of them that will do them serious harm if you interact with it in an accident!). We've since moved on in terms of protection and for an adult they do offer a potential benefit if the accident is centred on the passenger side of the car. Side airbags are a significant benefit.

Posts above are correct that with any kind of child restraint in the front, switching it off is a good idea, as the child restraint will inevitably sit nearer the airbag than an adult occupying the same seat. It absolutely must be off if the child restraint is rear facing, as an airbag going off in those circumstances is very likely to do serious harm.

I'm in a similar position to John, in that my 10 year old has outgrown all classes of child restraint - in our S5 it got to the point he was sitting in it in the back with his head kinked over to one side as it was making his head hit the roof of the car!

He recently went down to the West Country with my wife to visit his granny in our Golf. He sat in the front so he could see better and deal with music selection for my wife. I switched off the airbag, because the one thing I can't guarantee he wouldn't be doing in the event of an accident is leaning forward to pick something up off the floor, or reaching into the glovebox. Assuming he's not doing those things, the airbag won't actually help anyway, but if he is it's quite likely to do him harm.

Risk management is a very personal thing, so I would never criticise someone for making a different choice, based on their own circumstances and knowing their own child :)

Adrian

Do you ACTUALLY allow children in your '8??? :tuttut: :ROFL:

David. Children are our future. Without them this forum will grow ever more irascible, and when the last of us hangs up the noble key there will be no one else to care for these magnificent pieces of engineering.
I'd suggest it is your duty to share the message with the younger generation. Perhaps you could start by offering lifts to random passing youngsters ;)

I tried out your advice immediately in the spirit that you suggested and am now typing this from the backseat of a Police car. I notice that that quality of the Constabularies' vehicles is, sadly, not the same as my 8 and also carries a distinct smell of vomit - probably the result of carrying a member of the "younger generation".....:(

It was my excuse for buying my S8 in the first place (it was the perfect answer to the question 'what's the stupidest/least appropriate car with a V8 I can buy for less than £10k, on the basis it'll make a brilliant kiddy chariot')

My wife never bought in to this argument......