Vehicle safety has significantly improved over the years, including technological advancement in the development of airbags, which significantly impact the safety of your car.
So, how many airbags are fitted in your vehicle? If you’d like to find out, keep reading to see what I found out!
How Many Airbags Are In A Car?
On average, most cars have six to eight airbags for safety. However, some models have up to ten different types of airbags for maximum protection. These airbags are distributed in the car, and the main ones include the frontal, side torso, side curtain, knee, and inflatable seat belts. While some are mandatory and mandated by federal law, others are optional.
For more information about how many airbags you should have in a car and the vehicles with the most airbags, keep on reading for more useful facts!
How Many Airbags Should You Have On Average?
Airbags are a critical security feature because they protect car occupants from injuries during a car crash.
According to NHTSA data, frontal airbags saved 50,457 lives between 1987 to 2017. Therefore, they’re an essential part of your car.
On average, most cars have six airbags, including the two front airbags for the driver and front-seat passenger, knee airbags, side torso, side curtain, inflatable seat belts, and rear airbags.
Some models now have exterior pedestrian airbags that reduce the number of injuries a pedestrian faces when they get hit by a car.
There are many things that airbags do during an emergency situation, which are listed here below:
Front Airbags
Frontal airbags are located in the front of the vehicle, the drivers are located on the steering wheel, and the front-side passenger airbags are found on the dashboard.
Cars are equipped with frontal airbags designed to inflate and deflate during moderate and severe crashes, which protect the driver and passenger’s head and chest from contacting the vehicle during a collision.
Frontal airbags inflate within 30 milliseconds and work together with the safety belt, therefore it’s advisable to ensure that they’re working properly.
Side Torso Airbags
While frontal airbags are mandatory, side airbags are not. Despite not being necessary, automakers include them for protection during crashes involving side impact.
These airbags are mounted on the seat and inflate between the car’s door and the seat. These side airbags protect the car occupant from crashing against the door and reduce injuries on the torso, abdomen, and pelvic areas during a crash.
Due to the smaller space between the passenger and the door, these airbags inflate much quicker in about 10-20 milliseconds.
Side Curtain Airbags
Side airbags are divided into the torso airbag and the side curtain airbag. These airbags are installed on the vehicle’s roof and deploy from the vehicle’s ceiling to protect the car occupant from head injuries.
When these airbags inflate, they cover the front and rear windows to cover the passengers on both seats, which is important because they keep the passengers in the car during a rollover.
Knee Airbags
In high-speed crashes, passengers get knee injuries that can shutter their kneecaps. To prevent this, automakers started including knee airbags in their vehicles, which are mounted under the steering wheel to protect front-seat passengers.
While these airbags are supposed to protect the knees during frontal collisions, on some occasions, they cause more damage and can increase the risk of injury.
Inflatable Seat Belts
Inflatable seat belts function similar to airbags, as they deploy during a crash and were designed to protect rear-seat passengers (ex. young children) during a collision. These seat belts inflate and distribute the force across a wider body area, ensuring extra protection.
Rear Airbags
Rear airbags are necessary during rear-end collisions, as they protect the passengers in the back seat from bumping into the back window, and the rear center ones stop the car occupants from crashing into each other.
Which Cars Have The Most Airbags?
While most cars will have about 6 airbags, some models have up to 10 airbags.
There are SUVs and sedans that contain most airbags for maximum passenger protection. They include brands such as Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Sentra, Mini Cooper, and Volkswagen Golf SportWagen.
Each of these models have multiple-airbag systems that they use as a competitive feature to attract safety-conscious customers.
How Many Airbags On Average Are In a Sedan?
While most sedans have about 6 airbags, car models such as Nissan Sentra have seven airbags, and the Chevy Impala and Toyota Camry have 10 airbags.
These extra airbag installations make these sedans quite safe and position them as some of the most competitive sedans in the market.
How Many Airbags On Average Are On a SUV?
SUVs such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee have up to seven airbags installed for maximum protection during a crash.
On average, SUVs have six to seven airbags that include the most critical ones, such as the front, knee, side-impact airbags.
How Many Airbags On Average Are On a Truck?
Just like sedans and SUVs, trucks also have about six to eight airbags, which offer protection to the driver, front-side passenger, and car occupants on the rear seats.
Are Two Airbags Enough?
As established above, most vehicles have more than four airbags. However, some drivers may wonder if two airbags are considered to be a safe amount.
Some cars have ten airbags, but this amount is unnecessary, as you can have fewer that serve the same purpose.
However, a car with two airbags might not be as safe during a side-impact crash. Therefore, for better protection, you can install side airbags to protect yourself and the car occupants at all times.
To find out more, you can also read our posts on how long do airbags last, if you can sell used airbags, and if you can drive a car with airbags deployed.
Conclusion
Most cars have six to eight airbags on average, while some models have up to ten airbags for maximum protection.
Your car needs to have frontal and side airbags for basic protection. However, you can add more, such as inflatable seat belts and rear airbags to cover all your car occupants. While some cars have up to 10 airbags, all of them might not be necessary.