Airbags, bull bars and kangaroos

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Originally Posted by DAMINK

You loose your legs even in minor crashes if you dont have airbags? Na im just gunna call bull**** here.
Thats an absurd thing to say.
Where is the evidence of all the people loosing there legs from minor crashes in a non airbag D1?

Airbags job is to stop your noggin hitting the steering wheel or window, not to stop you sliding. Thats the job of a seatbelt!

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I dont care whether you think it bull**** or not - if you check the crash tests of the mid 90s it highlights this - the crash test dummies had a hard time in the non airbag versions. When I was buying my new Disco 1 in 94 it was a consideration for me - to pay an extra $3500 per airbag or not to have airbags - as part of this I researched the freely available data - was somewhat alarming but then most of the opposition 4wds did not have airbags.

Airbags do more than stopping your noggin hitting stuff - remember when introduced in the US it was often the only restraint system - there was nothing supplementary about them (the S in SRS Airbag)

I reckon the bull bar would have made a massive difference in that specific situation.
But that's just to show what is standard, and keeping in mind that bullbars are not allowed in Europe too.

But I'd say that the bar work that extends out past the chassis rail would have acted like an absorber itself taking a lot of the force of the crash out of the body/sill/A pillar area.

Just like many others I used to poo hoo airbags as well untill a few years ago when I was riding shotgun in a ford transit that was involved in a high speed head on collision
Although my left arm got verry mangled I have absolutely No doubt that without the airbags deploying I would have died on the scene just as my mate that stupidly didnt have his seat belt on did.

For every story of airbags/seatbelts saving lives there will be different stories also. As a personal example.

Driving down stud road rowville near the old stanford. Woman driving was very drunk. Me and my older brother were in the car also. Old Mercedes, well was new back then.
Anyhoo she decided she wanted to drag another car. Flew up the hill, lost control, slid in the medium and then darted over to the side hitting a huge bolder on the side of the road.
Flipping the car a few times in the air and bang on its roof.
Driver had her seatbelt on as did i. My brother in the front seat did not. Driver was badly injured. Steering wheel and her head had serious words. I seen her that night but never again so dunno how she went.
My brother got ejected out the windscreen and onto the ground. Tearing his leg apart something horrible.
Me i was basically fine, no serious injuries apart from some glass cuts.

Long story short had my brother been wearing the seatbelt he would certainly have died! The passenger area was absolutely totalled.

Interestingly if you were to do this crash in a controlled situation im sure 99 times out of 100 a seatbelt would help GREATLY!. Just goes to show fate some times plays a hand in things.

Just a thought. Could the airbags have been faulty and should have been replaced under the worldwide recall?
Also, my D2 Handbook states that airbags should be replaced after 10 years.

I remember reading in The Role of Luck in Air Warfare about a Sopwith Camel pilot who crash landed with his safety belt off (against regs). He miraculously got launched through a tiny gap between the top wing and his guns on top of the fuselage, whilst wearing his bulky flying suit. The cockpit was crushed but he survived. Usually it was much safer to stay in the aircraft. Fate is a strange mistress.

My D1 has airbags and I put in a bullbar without the crush cans. Hit a decent sized roo at about 60kph one month later and just gave me a slight curve in the middle of my bar, nothing went off.

Disclaimer: I have no idea about the legalities of having the wrong bullbar on...