The researchers found that belted drivers had a 21 percent greater chance of dying in cars equipped with the latest model of air bags than those in vehicles with the previous model. The risk for unbelted drivers was unchanged.
Full article on the risk of death posed by newly-designed front air bags.
It really doesn’t make sense to force automakers to over-engineer a sound device to accommodate the small minority of people who refuse to use the most basic auto safety protections.
Devon, it’s the 90% + drivers who belt up who are greater risk because of the new air bags.
Back in the day (by that I mean the 80’s), my dad used to cut the seatbelts out of his trucks. One day my mom was driving and was t-boned by another driver. Had she been wearing a seatbelt, the impact from the other car would have crushed her pelvis. As it was, she escaped with only minimal injuries. Engineering doesn’t win every battle.