Potential Risk

To minimize the potential risk of SAB-related injuries to occupants - especially children - a group of automotive and insurance industry experts known as the Technical Working Group (TWG) developed voluntary SAB standards and testing procedures. Manufacturers now report to the government if the SABs in a given vehicle model have met the voluntary standards.

To find out if your vehicle's SABs meet the TWG standards, visit and search the vehicle database by make, model, and year. Vehicles reported as meeting the TWG voluntary standards will indicate "Meets Specification" beside the "SAB Out Of Position Testing" entry under "Air Bags." These out of position testing standards were developed primarily with children in mind. TWG standards information can also be found in the annual NHTSA "Buying a Safer Car" brochures.

Prior to the development of the recommended TWG standards, many chest (torso) and head/chest combination (combo) SABs showed a potential for serious or fatal injury to children seated too close to a deploying air bag. However, very few vehicles sold in the U.S. have these types of SABs in the rear seating positions.

NHTSA has not seen any indication that current roof-mounted head SABs pose a risk to children. Many roof-mounted SABs now extend rearward to include the second and even the third row seating positions. You can check your owner's manual or visit and search the vehicle database to learn whether your vehicle is equipped with SABs, and if so, what type.

As of 2008, NHTSA has investigated over 1,500 cases where SABs have deployed in crashes. Sixty of the cases have involved children (ages 13 and under). NHTSA crash investigators found no moderate or serious injuries to these children as a result of SAB deployments. NHTSA continues to closely monitor real-world SAB deployments involving both children and adults.

Operation

Sensors determine whether a crash is severe enough to inflate SABs, which are capable of deploying in a fraction of a second. Unlike frontal air bags, some side curtain air bags may be designed to stay inflated for several seconds to provide additional protection throughout the duration of a rollover crash. The protection provided by side air bags and the location of these safety devices vary by type and vehicle.

Quick Facts

• During a side-impact crash, a side-impact air bag (SAB) inflates in a fraction of a second to protect an occupant's head and/or chest from striking objects inside the vehicle.
• There are three main types of side-impact air bags (SABs): Chest (torso), Head (including tubular and curtain varieties), and Head/Chest (combo).
• Some SABs can also protect an occupant from striking objects outside the vehicle in a side-impact crash; however, chest (torso) SABs do not provide this kind of protection.
• Curtain-variety head SABs may help provide protection from ejection in a rollover crash.
• Some new convertibles include head SABs that deploy upwards from the window sill.
• Although not government-required safety devices, SABs are currently offered as standard or optional equipment on many new passenger vehicles.
• Like frontal air bags, side-impact air bags do not take the place of seat belts, but are supplemental restraints.
• Information about a vehicle's SAB system is included in the vehicle owner's manual and is also available by searching the our database by make, model, and year.

Safety Benefits

SABs provide significant safety benefits to occupants of vehicles involved in side crashes. NHTSA estimates that in side-impact crashes involving at least one fatality, nearly 60 percent of those killed have suffered brain injuries. NHTSA also estimates that if all U.S. vehicles were equipped with head protection SABs - as compared to no vehicles being equipped with this technology - a total of 976 lives would be saved and another 932 serious injuries prevented each year. In preparation for meeting the upgraded FMVSS Side Impact Protection standards, manufacturers are now offering head protection SABs in a number of new vehicles. Data show that hundreds of serious injuries are being prevented and hundreds more lives saved as a result.

Types of SABs

There are three main types of SABs: chest (torso) SABs, head SABs, and head/chest combination (combo) SABs.

• Chest (torso) SABs are mounted in the side of the seat back or in the door and are designed to help protect an adult's chest in a serious side-impact crash.
• Head SABs are usually mounted in the roof rail above the side windows and are designed to help protect an adult's head in a side-impact crash. There are two types of head SABs: curtain SABs and tubular SABs. Curtain SABs can provide protection to both front and rear occupants in a side-impact crash; some may also stay inflated longer to provide protection from ejection if your vehicle rolls over after being struck on the side. Some new convertibles include head SABs that deploy upwards from the window sill.
• Head/chest combination ("combo") SABs are usually mounted in the side of the seat and are typically larger than chest (torso) SABs. Combo SABs are designed to help protect both the head and chest of an adult.

Consult your owner's manual or vehicle manufacturer for specific information on your vehicle's side air bag system.

Background

SABs are inflatable devices that help protect your head and/or chest from being hit by hard objects in a side-impact crash. The first head SABs were introduced in model year 1998, but did not become widely available until recently. SABs, unlike frontal air bags, are not required by NHTSA. Because they are not required safety equipment, the Federal government does not mandate that vehicles be equipped with SABs. However, on September 11, 2007, NHTSA published a final rule that requires upgraded side impact protection. This rule, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, Side Impact Protection, establishes new performance requirements. It's up to individual manufacturers to decide what type or types of protection systems - including SABs - they will use to meet the upgraded requirement.