The latest trend in air bag technology is side air bags with rollover protection. These air bags are designed to help reduce occupant injury in several ways. First and foremost, they protect the heads of the driver or passengers from hitting the interior of the vehicle during a side-impact collision. In addition, they can help to reduce the intrusion of glass or other vehicle components, such as interior trim, into the occupant area. And, in some circumstances, they also can help to ensure that the occupant remains inside the vehicle during a severe collision or rollover accident.
Head curtain air bags can be either wide and thin (which covers the entire side window) or tubular designs. Both protect occupants' heads from hitting the windows or vehicle pillars, and the air bags typically deploy from the roofline and in a downward motion, covering most of the window, and in some cases, all of it. Not all curtain or tubular air bags offer rollover protection, however.
Currently, all new vehicles offered for sale in the United States are required to provide both driver and front passenger air bags as standard equipment. At this time, however, there are no similar requirements for side air bags. It's up to the individual automaker to decide whether to offer them on a particular model, and at what cost. Among the manufacturers that do offer side air bags, each one has a choice as to what type of air bags to use, where those air bags are located, and what seating positions they will protect. This means that automakers also determine whether these air bags will provide protection only for side impacts or also during a rollover....
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