New Evidence: Side Air Bags Save Lives

A new study offers fresh evidence that side air bags can be the difference between life and death.

As The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen pointed out Thursday, air bags are already required in all vehicles, but only in the front. That, she adds, can leave occupants vulnerable: In all, 30 percent of deaths on the road result from side-impact collisions. In 2004, such crashes killed nearly 10,000 Americans.

But Koeppen reports that new research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds side air bags can dramatically improve chances of survival.

"We found savings in deaths across the board," says the institute's Ann McCartt. "We found reductions in deaths for old and younger drivers, for male and female drivers, for drivers in small cars and for large passenger vehicles."

In its study, released Thursday, the institute compared the benefits of two kinds of side air bags — those that protect just the torso, and those that protect both the torso and the head.

In cars, torso airbags alone reduced driver deaths by 26 percent. Head and torso airbags were even more effective, reducing deaths by 37 percent.

Says McCartt, "Side air bags that provide head protection, not just protection for the chest and abdomen, can be particularly important when car drivers are struck in the side by high-riding SUVs or pickups."

For SUV drivers, Koeppen points out, the benefits of side air bags are even more significant, with torso bags reducing the risk of death by 30 percent. Add head air bags and the risk drops by 52 percent.

"It's important to remember that side air bags can save your life not only in a side-impact crash with another vehicle, but also in single-vehicle crashes where a car runs off the road and slides into a tree or the vehicle rolls over," McCartt observes.

Only 40 percent of new vehicles offer torso and head air bags as standard equipment at the moment. The institute says that if every new vehicle came with them, it could save as many as 2,000 lives a year.

Side air bags aren't federally mandated at the present time, but all automakers have agreed to make them standard in all passenger vehicles by 2010.

"If you're interested in safety," advises McCartt, "you should make sure that the next vehicle you purchase has a side air bag that protects both your torso and your head."

If you want to buy a car today with side air bags as an option, it will cost you an extra $500 to $700, depending on the vehicle, though they can also be packaged with other options.

For more from the institute on the study, click here.

To see if your vehicle has side air bags, click here.