Side Curtain Airbags

Associated Press, Dec 6, 2006 "MILFORD, Mich. -- General Motors Corp. will make side curtain air bags that protect people in rollover crashes standard equipment on all retail vehicles by the 2012 model year, the automaker announced Tuesday."

GM made its announcement amid news of the company unveiling a $10 million dollar crash test facility in Detroit. GM also stated that 43 percent of its new trucks will have side air bags.

Side Curtain Airbags can prevent injury to the head and upper body in a rollover accident. Side airbags stay inflated longer than other airbags to compensate for what could be multiple vehicle rolls (5 seconds for 3 vehicle rolls).

Torso bags are also used by some auto manufacturers to protect the chest area, while the main side curtain airbags concentrate on the head.

Currently, the NHTSA does not have standards to control the design and performance of side curtain airbags and tests have shown that they are not as effective if the occupant's head is not at least somewhat level with the vehicle's window, as they are designed to stop the occupant's head from striking the glass. This also is a huge factor with children. Side curtain airbags may have little benefit for them, unless current designs are improved. The NHTSA only offers this guideline, "these airbags should not cause harm to occupants, regardless of their age, size and seating position — regardless of whether they are properly restrained."