Today, every car on the market comes with airbags. They’re a mandatory requirement for new automobiles in the US market and have been since September 1st, 1998. But they’re not mandatory for you!
That is, you don’t need to have airbags in your own car. It’s perfectly legal to drive around in a car without them. This is obvious, given that many vehicles built prior to 1998 are still on the roads.
My question for you is this—are airbags something you consider mandatory, like seatbelts or breathable oxygen? Or are you happy to go without them?
I know a great many people that are perfectly happy to ride around in old cars without airbags. Indeed, most of the vehicles I’ve owned never had them. It wasn’t until 2012, when I bought a 1999 Ford Falcon, that I regularly drove around in a vehicle with airbags.
However, this question isn’t as simple as it might immediately appear. Most of us wouldn’t hesitate to ride in a friend’s classic car that never had airbags in its life. But what about a modern car with no airbags fitted? Or airbags that were non-operational?
I feel confident in saying that most of us dig older cars. We wouldn’t freak out if our pals pulled up in a 1972 Chevy Malibu or a 1989 Oldsmobile Toronado. We’d think that was damn cool. We wouldn’t freak out that it was too dangerous because it lacked airbags.
In contrast, if you got in an Uber with the airbag light glowing in the dash, would you do a second take? Would you get out and wait for another, or would you pay it no mind?
I think for a lot of people, the idea of a malfunctioning or non-operable airbag is scarier than a car that had none at all. Back in the day, airbags had a bad rap for taking more lives than they saved. That’s absolutely no longer the case, but it’s easy to get wary around these quite literally explosive safety devices. Recent debacles like the Takata scandal have done nothing to ease community concerns.
So I ask in the fullness of the question—would you drive a car with no airbags, modern or classic? Or do you demand that the safety equipment is fully operational before you head out on the road?
Top image: Alfa Romeo
Story images: Renault, Lewin Day
I suspect I’m with many others here, fine for the project/weekend/fun car, not ok for the daily. And my first car was from the 60’s (in the mid 00’s) and I spent 4 years dailying a motorcycle. But age and responsibilities (aka tiny human) change some of that perspective.
Only three of my cars have airbags so, 14% of the fleet. Yes, I will drive without airbags, but I do retrofit the non-seatbelt cars with belts.
I’ll ride in one with no airbags, I will drive one. I do not wish to commute in one without them. I also will not ride in a car without seatbelts on public roads.
“…something you consider mandatory, like seatbelts…”
All of my current cars are new enough (1967-83) for seatbelts but I’ve happily owned and driven older cars without them and I may very well do so again. I wear seatbelts when they’re present but I don’t consider them mandatory in cars that never had them.
The ’83 is also the newest car I’ve ever owned. Admittedly there are earlier cars than that with airbags but I’ve never owned anything so equipped.
My daily driver has them. My toy car, a 1967 Mini, does not. I am equally comfortable in either one, though I kind of wish the Mini had a bit more crumple space.
Opposite question- do I trust the airbag in my 30 year old MR2 not to injure me even worse if it does go off?
No airbags, no problem.
If I wanted airbags I’d carpool with politicians.
I’ve definitely daily’d cars where the airbags have been pushed back in and the seams taped back up.
I would again if needed. But currently, all my cars have un-deployed airbags and I’d like to keep it that way.
I was also in a serious car accident a few years back where I truly believe the airbags prevented me from having more serious injuries than I did. And that was in a 2004 Impala with just front airbags. If someone is serious about safety I can understand. I also understand making that occasional exception to drive or ride in a classic car without. Especially since if thats the reason for the exception, chances are the car is driven more carefully.
Do it 132 miles a day, 6 days a week. Also ride my motorcycle without a helmet, and don’t bat an eye about driving our pre seat belt bumpside Ford. Frankly I’m surprised so many people have issues about. I’m the weird one I guess. Maybe it’s a gen X thing.
Not everyone has your healing factor, Unclewolverine.
Not gonna lie, that’s pretty funny.
Not a GenX thing. It’s a statistics thing.
[Of course any individual is free to make their own decisions.]
[Old cars are cool. 🙂 ]
Seat belts reduces the risk of:
Front seat passenger car occupant deaths by 45%Front seat passenger car occupant moderate to critical injuries by 50%Front seat light truck occupant deaths by 60%Front seat light truck occupant moderate to critical injuries by 65%(https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/occupant-protection/seat-belts/)(https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/809199)Airbags:
Front airbags reduce driver fatalities in frontal crashes by 29% and fatalities of front-seat passengers age 13 and older by 32%(https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812069.pdf)Motorcycle Helmets:
The effectiveness of motorcycle helmets in preventing death (37% for operators and 41% for passengers) and injuries (8% for minor injuries and 13% for serious injury)(https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812867)
I only own one car with airbags, so obviously, yes.
Since they’re a requirement legally for anything built past 1998, yes.
I’ll ride in a car with no airbags and have done so multiple times. Drive one? Probably not fast. Just for around town I think.
I’d drive a car with no airbags. I’d be concerned about an Uber with an airbag light on because I’d wonder how much was neglected other than the airbag, but I wouldn’t necessarily be worried about the airbag itself.
I’ve never had an airbag deploy on me, so it all feels so disconnected from my experience. I know there have been problems with them deploying with too much force, and I know they’ve saved lives. But I’ve never taken an airbag to the face or had the seatbelt pretensioner hold me to the seat.
I haven’t owned a vehicle without airbags for years and don’t plan to. I think they do more good than harm, especially newer airbags, but I can understand that someone taking one to the face or knowing someone harmed by one might disagree. I hope never to need them, but I’m certainly not going to avoid/defeat them. They might be helpful if I’m in a bad crash.
Been there, done that. Got picked up in a beat up Grand Cherokee once with a Christmas tree worth of lights on the dash, including the air bag. Was not happy about it, and even less so when the driver decided to pick up a friend at the same time and proceeded to shove the front seat into my lap so his friend had room.
Needless to say the tip for that ride was not good, but I did take it.
My 8-year old is not allowed to ride in the front seat of our 2019 because of airbags. But my 1992 Cherokee doesn’t have an airbag in it. And the back seat doesn’t have a headrest. Putting aside the old “deathmobile” issue — we’re really just driving around town — is she safer in the front? Am I a bad dad for owning the XJ?
I think it would depend on the vehicle, but an airbag blinded my friend in one of her eyes. I’m ADAMANT about seatbelts, but less so for airbags. I daily drove my 350z with an aftermarket wheel for over 10 years too.
Having daily driven a 78 Bronco as recently as last week. I’d say yes.
That said. I also drive some more recent vehicles that have airbags.
I honestly don’t think much about it.
I’m happy to drive a car without them, but I don’t think I’d daily drive one long-term. I also would prefer to keep it in place if I’m in a car that came with one, but would be ok driving it once or twice, and be happy to drive at speed with a helmet on, assuming the proper harness and neck protection are provided.
Rural/slow driving, possibly.
Me in a back seat with plenty of legroom? Will probably consider it.
There’s definitely edge cases. A sibling had to forsake use of their Traverse for ~10 months until an airbag recall was completed. In that case though, it’s not “non-functional” as much as “high chance to actively kill you”, at which point I wouldn’t want to be in that vehicle at all.
Um, Yes?
I often think about ditching the stock steering wheel in my NA Miata for a nice Nardi wheel. If the airbag light ever goes on (’95 airbag control modules are apparently handcrafted from pure unobtanium) I’ll definitely do it. I’m not sure how safe a 30-year-old first-generation airbag is to begin with, so I wouldn’t really have any qualms.
I was in the same situation with an old MR2…I actually was more afraid of what the old airbag would do in a wreck. I happily drive with a JDM airbag-free wheel now and if I’m about to crash I puff up my cheeks for protection.
There’s no guarantee that airbags will work when you need them, and there’s really no way to verify that they are still in working order without deploying them.
I’ll take a car with 5+ point safety harnesses and proper racing seats over air bags and 3 point seatbelts.
I daily drive a truck with no airbags. And it was made in Denton, TX, in 2021.
OOOO! What truck?
Peterbilt 389 long hood with all the chicken lights and chrome
Makes sense.
Yup. Airbags are starting to show up in semis, but are still not required. Me, personally, no airbag, please.
‘looks at he D250 and 89 Firebird sitting in the barn and also looks at my dad’s 77 firebird and 57 Chevy’ Nah never in my life have I driven anything with out an air bag /s kind of glad my Cummins doesn’t have air bags as I lost traction in winter in it (now not driven in winter any more) and the air bags would have gone off with how badly dented the bumper and driver’s side fender were.
I daily drive a K-truck without air bags. I also have a 1989 LaForza without air bags that sees regular highway use. While there is certainly some increased danger, as long as there are seat belts I’m okay. I might feel differently if I had children in the cars regularly.
It is much easier to be the driver of a dangerous car, the one in control, than it is to be the passenger.
It depends on location. Around town (population ~4,000), or on state & county roads up to the lake, sure. We’re even contemplating a golf cart/NEV for bopping around town.
On the Interstate or in “the city” (population 200,000+, roughly 45 miles from here), no freaking way.