Short people and air-bags

kaybeejay · Post by **kaybeejay** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:19 am

I have a friend who is 4'11.5". (yes, almost 5' !!)When she drives she's gotta crank the seat all the way forward so she can reach the pedals and steering wheel. Her car is an old jalopy so it has no airbag. If she were to drive... say my Vibe... her chest would be just inches from the airbag. If it goes off... would she be screwed?

sloth · Post by **sloth** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:47 am

She probably wouldn't be in good shape. According to this site http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_....html you should have at least 10 inches between the airback and breast bone.

pmh013 · Post by **pmh013** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:49 am

I'm pretty sure the air bags are dual stage, which are supposed to be "gentler" in a crash. I know that you're supposed to try and stay as far away from the air bag as possible, but I think that advice was for the old type. I don't have the owner's manual in front of me, there is probably more info in there.

Vibe · Post by **Vibe** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 7:14 am

Yes there is a danger from being too close to an airbag. Besides the force from the inflation,I have read that people have received chemical burns from them going off.I can understand you concern and hers as well---heck I'm 6'1" and have my seat all the way back ---And the thought of that thing blowing up in my face even scares me. James (Vibe)

kaybeejay · Post by **kaybeejay** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:23 am

A side note...I read somewhere that manufacturers are no longer recommending that people drive with their hands at the "11 o'clock" and "2 o'clock" positions anymore.The reason is that when the airbag goes off, it pushes your arms outward. So if you drive at the 11 - 2 position, then your left arm gets launched out the window. In some cases, launching your arm with so much force that your hand/arm actually breaks the window on its way out.The new recommendation is to drive at the 9 - 3 positions so your arm have a better chance of just smacking into the inside of the door - therefore staying inside the car and not dangling outside.I feel sorry for the guys who drive at the 6 o'clock position.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:11 am

I have heard similar things happening about the 11-2 position. Someone I went to college with wrecked her Cavalier twice, both instances deploying the air bags. Her hand flew off the wheel and smacked the driver's side window both times. Yep, so don't do that! Air bags and shorter folks do worry me... Mom is only 4'11, so that thought is always in the back of my mind. It's hard enough when you're short to find a position that lets you see and reach the pedals - finding a way to be able to see, reach the pedals, and be x amount of inches from the wheel can be downright impossible with some cars. I'm glad the car designers went away design model that originally was intended to restrain an "unbelted 160 pound male" or whatever, but they still have a ways to go for making the systems safer for everyone that may be behind the wheel.Supposedly, the Vibe will adjust deployment depending on the position of the driver's seat... If the seat is too far up, it will only deploy at the weakest stage. At least that's what I have heard, hopefully someone with more knowledge than I of the inner workings of the Vibe's safety systems can confirm/deny that... If we do have it, that's a darn good feature.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:23 am

if i'm ever in a head on collision, i'm screwed. not only do i have to worry about the airbag taking off my head, but my shins breaking in two from the pedals crashing in on them. this also was an issue they found with us short people. ford does have a nice feature on some of their f150's that bring the pedals closer to you so you do not have to sit so close to them or the steering wheel. it's a very nice feature i'd love to have.

Vibewatcher · Post by **Vibewatcher** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:03 pm

As posted, 10" from wheel to breast bone has always been the standard. There was so talk recently about making it 7" with a warning for possible injury under 10", but it stays at 10". And the Vibe might be worse, without a traditional American tilting wheel, deployment appears to be aimed upward angle. I am sure the designners take that into effect, but it could increase risk.I know I have seen nothing about seat position having an effect on the Vibe's drivers bag, and a quick surf (NHTSA, Pontiac) could not confirm that it has a dual stage system.So yes, if your friend was to drive your Vibe (or most any other car) she would be in danger of increased injury from the bag.Many future cars, like the G6 from Pontiac or the new Malibus will offer adjustable pedals. So if she ever buys a new car, she could be more comfortable in one of those.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 11:30 pm

Either way... airbag exploding in your chest or you slamming into the steeringwheel would really hurt regardless. I never drive with my hands at 11 and 2... its usually 9 and 3 or one hand at 6...Being a tall guy I think my problem would be not hitting the bag at all since I sit so far back...

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:06 am

Back in the day, if you couldn't sit far enough back to give yourself a safe distance from the airbag, you could apply to the government for permission to have the airbag disabled...Not sure if they still do that with the more modern SIR systems though...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:11 am

Dealerships/shops are not allowed to and will not disable your SIR or ABS due to liability. Even if you sign a paper saying you gave permission... I have not checked but the government would definatly need to give the ok to do this and even then I doubt my shop would say "sure we'll do it"You as the owner at your own risk can pull the fuse and relays to the system and you didn't hear that from me lol

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:17 am

Has she sat in your Vibe as if she was going to drive it? She might be surprised how far back from the steering wheel she ends up. In my old vehicle, I had to put the seat all the way up and I was inches from the steering wheel, but in the Vibe, if I push the seat all the way up, I'm way too close to the pedals. I have to pull it back some, and I'm at a comfortable arm's length from the steering wheel. The steering wheel in the Vibe is set back further than most are...I like that because I'm short (about 5'1" or 5'2") and I can be further away from the wheel and more comfortable. But my parents don't like it because they're both taller than I am and feel it's too far away. Also, i was taught in driver's ed in '98 to drive at the 9 and 3 positions, and I actually don't think 11 and 2 is very comfortable...my arms get tired. The steering wheel in the Vibe is designed for the 9 and 3 position with the way the center is constructed.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:20 am

Yeah, it's weird, in my Intrepid rental, I have to sit really far forward to reach the pedals...I sit farther away from the Vibe's wheel than I do this car's...

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:22 am

I was taught to drive 9 and 3 also... the arms can relax a little more cause they are not stretched out to reach 11 and 2.

futseal04 · Post by **futseal04** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 4:08 am

Quote, originally posted by Vibe Â»Yes there is a danger from being too close to an airbag. Besides the force from the inflation,I have read that people have received chemical burns from them going off.I can understand you concern and hers as well---heck I'm 6'1" and have my seat all the way back ---And the thought of that thing blowing up in my face even scares me. James (Vibe)Chemical burns aren't an issue with new bags. Old ones (late 80's early 90's) used some kind of chemical reaction (come sodium compound tablet started by an electric current) that created air that inflated the bag. They then went to little air cartridges that are punctured that inflate it. I was an EMT for a couple of years, and my father has been a firefighter for many years, and we both agree in real world, if you sit too close and get a couple of broken ribs, it beats massive head and body trauma that you would have if you didn't have an airbag.

RoundUp · Post by **RoundUp** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 2:45 pm

I'm short, but I don't have too much of a problem maintaining the 10" distance from the steering wheel in cars that have a tilt adjustment for the seat like the Vibe. I adjust the seat so that the front of it tilts downwards and allows my legs to be straighter when my feet are on the pedals. I can sit farther back this way. I've been in cars of the same model with bench seats that don't have tilt adjustment and bucket seats that do. I notice quite a difference.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:20 am

Quote, originally posted by futseal04 Â»Chemical burns aren't an issue with new bags. Old ones (late 80's early 90's) used some kind of chemical reaction (come sodium compound tablet started by an electric current) that created air that inflated the bag. They then went to little air cartridges that are punctured that inflate it.Something in there still burns the skin -- when my 02 Sunfire crashed and the airbags deployed, I had wrist burns for several days.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 1:13 am

The air bag when it explodes sets off a dust that you'll definatly smell and its that dust which can be hot on your skin that burns you. See if your dealership has a car care clinic you can attend, they will explain the airbag there and probably deploy one for you to watch.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 1:22 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik Â»See if your dealership has a car care clinic you can attend, they will explain the airbag there and probably deploy one for you to watch.LOL!Thanks, already witnessed a deployment firsthand.

Short people and air-bags

Short people and air-bags

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