Technical Front seats, Airbag and child seats.

[Cinders]

My girls like to ride up front with me.
They need car seats (currently a stage 2 and a stage 3).
They are Britax and look like these:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3752049.htm
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/0982276.htm
Although they are not the exact same models.
No problems so far.

I need to know about the passenger airbag and its compatibility or non when when taking the children out.
I know I can turn it off.

I want to know, Do I need to have it turned off for these seats as they are FORWARD facing and not rear facing.
What are the danger / safety aspects?

The stage 3 seat I think puts the child at the same height as an adult.
The stage 2 one is 'higher sitting'.

I need your input.
Can you, especially those of you in the trade, enlighten me please.
Obviously I want my family safe.
Thanks.

 

[alainax]

http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing/airbags.html
might help a little

 

[Cinders]

Well i've read it, thanks for sending it. I am still not convinced as what is the difference between a child on a booster seat and an adult on an ordinary seat?
It looks like they just say turn it off or put child in the back to cover everything without giving a reason.

Anyone found any video sites where they do crash testing for this kind of thing?

 

[Hellcat]

I think the issue is if the airbag goes off, they risk being smothered by it as they are held in place by their 5 point seat.

 

[Cinders]

But they only stay inflated for a second or two not minutes.
Hubby had an accident in my Renault Megane Scenic MPV and when the airbag exploded (as they do at 200 miles an hour!! (airbag not Hubby driving that is!)), it immediately deflated as it had done its job.

I'm still looking for video of tests as we 'speak'

 

[Techdojo]

I think it's more a question of what's the likelyhood of physical harm having an airbag explode a couple of feet from your little one's faces.

I wear glasses and I'm not sure what effect an airbag would have on my face - probably less than the windscreen, although that said I've recently been in a fairly serious bang, when a bus hit my much loved Picasso on the front passenger corner at ~30mph, and whilst the side bags went off on the passenger seat neither of the front ones did so I never got the chance to find out (*phew*), actually the seat belts did a rather good job of stopping the wife and I going through the windscreen - so does anybody actually know what the airbags are actually designed to prevent?

What's left of the Picasso is currently in the process of being swapped for a Multipla and my little ones will no doubt fight tooth and claw to be the one up front, so obviously I'm keen to find an anwser to this question as well...

Regards

Jon...

 

[Cinders]

I found an American site that said you should not put a rear-facing baby seat in a seat where there is an airbag fitted (agreed on that) and that in the case for forward facing ones the seat should be set as far back from the airbag as possible.

But how does that equate with British market cars?

 

[lil.smartie]

I'd say leave them on with a forward facing seat. That is the recomendation from Smart anyway and that is mainly for the little fortwo's which only have front seats & no switch to turn them off (you have to buy a Smart rear facing seat with a base & switch to turn off the airbag)

So seats pushed back & air bags on would be my suggestion!

Kate

 

[johne]

The effect of airbags on front seat children would depend on the effectiveness of the booster seat and restraint system. If the child's head and torso aren't in the correct position when they 'hit' the airbag then it might be worse than no airbag. For example if the child is lower than an adult would be, or they bend forward more quickly than an adult (because a child's head is relatively more heavy than an adult's) then the airbag could act only on the head of the child and bend their neck backwards.