Deactivating Automotive Airbags

[stophiss]

I didn't have time to read all responses so forgive me if this was already suggested, but why wouldn't you wear earplugs while driving in your vehicle rather than disabling a potentially life saving device? I have both T and H and I find the road noise in my vehicle to be loud enough on its own where after a day of driving on the freeway my T is amplified at least overnight. Because of this I often wear earplugs while driving. I can still here if a siren were to approach. I can also listen to radio and not have to worry about cranking the volume too high to overcome the road noise which would amplify the volume of my T even more.

Earplugs rather than disable air bags. No?

Chris

Sorry Chris but your post is disqualified for being too sensible. Please re-frame and try again.

 

[Kazue]

Yes, risk your life just for the fear you might go deaf. Life goes on buddy. You can't get your life back after it's gone. I suggest you get those airbags back in. If you're that paranoid then wear some earplugs but make sure you're able to hear horns and sirens.

 

[MikeP505]

make sure you're able to hear horns and sirens.

Completely deaf people still drive and are usually more in tune with the surroundings than those who can hear. They scan mirrors much more often, are less likely to be distracted from noise or passengers, and all around very safe and effective drivers. Trust me. I know this!

If you wear ear plugs, just pay attention to your surroundings more. Scan those mirrors frequently for emergency vehicles.

 

[Bobby B]

I have been wearing my earmuffs in my car for months - because it was a small and noisy car mostly - and frankly I'm sick and tired of it and it's almost impossible to have a conversation with a passenger because they get tired of talking loud and T is too loud too with muffs over time .

If anyone here thinks that driving a modern large sedan with seat belts only is dangerous or risking their life then riding motorcycles or cars wihtout bags like the Mazda Miata should be banned and especially taking on passengers. A lot more people got severely injured/died in motorcycle accidents compared to same distance driven in non airbags cars back in the 1980's

And I am not talking about dealing with current T though CBT or else - by the way no plugs are allowed in TRT- all I am trying to do is to prevent a major increase of T and hearing loss.

I'm glad this thread is generating some heated debate but the problem is that none of us got T due to airbags deployment - in fact my decision was made after reading the thread of this mother who got T and HL due to airbag deployment - in a minor accident with her kid read the thread , and the other ones she posted earlier on and you'll understand ...

@Genevieve

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...-have-done-something-on-me.14244/#post-171659

 

[Breezer]

You deactivate airbags? Does that help your tinnitus? I'm trying to find things that help.

 

[Bobby B]

Bottom line is that the mother who was involved in car accident with her kid and got T / HL wished she had the bags removed before - as far a I know she is the only person who posted about this here - none of us had airbags explode in our face yet - fortunately - hence my decision .

Sorry guys but I'm not going back to my post trauma super loud T, H and 40db@4khz hearing loss due to a blast sound wave.
The inner ear has a few mechanisms to prevent hair cells damage by the release of heat shock proteins and other means when exposed to loud sounds OVER TIME but a milisecond 170db blast is too fast for the ear to protect itself therefore an explosion can whack the remaining of my decently un-damaged hair cell a lot better than being in a 120 Db concert for an hour I would think

 

[Bobby B]

You deactivate airbags? Does that help your tinnitus? I'm trying to find things that help.

Well driving with plugs/muffs for hours to avoid risking airbags noise trauma - as suggested - isn't helping habituation so in this regard yes it helps.

I bought a super quiet car with minimal engine and road noise - about 60db on a highway with rough asphalt at 120kmh so no plugs / muffs required ,finally !

 

[Breezer]

Oh I see. I should have read up further. Thank you for the reply.

 

[Sen]

I don't have a license or a car, but if I did I would disable my air bags. I would prefer to die in a car accident than further worsen my T and H, and I can accept the risk of severe injury for the peace of mind in preventing the exacerbation of an injury that already exists.

I live a very solitary life and can't think of a reason I would ever have a passenger more than a couple times a year tops, likely for very short drives, so I wouldn't worry a whole lot about liability either.

Unfortunately I have to rely on riding in other people's vehicles, and I can't do anything about their air bags. Luckily I rarely need a drive anywhere, and when I do so, I wear hearing protection in the vehicle.

I'm not so sure that hearing protection would prevent me from worsening from a 170db noise though. Damn, are air bags really that loud? That's terrifying.

 

[Bobby B]

Of the 70 patients with otologic symptoms, 61 had post airbag deployment audiograms. Of these, 50 showed hearing loss in one or more frequencies in the ear with otologic complaints.

Noise associated with airbag deployment varies with the type of airbag. Deployment of a driver side only airbag will generate mean peak sound pressure level (SPL) of approximately 160 dB, a passenger side only airbag will generate mean peak SPL of 168 dB and dual airbags create a mean peak SPL of 170 dB. Side airbags available as optional equipment in some vehicles generate a mean peak SPL of 178 dB. The SPL generated by a motor vehicle accident is 140 dB. The pain threshold from noise is about 140 dB. It was previously reported that a single exposure to an SPL of 140 dB in a cordless telephone was responsible for permanent severe hearing loss in several individuals

http://www.sae.org/standardsdev/tsb/cooperative/airbag.htm

 

[MikeP505]

I would prefer to die in a car accident

What happens if your badly maimed and not killed in the accident? Now you have 3 nurses changing your diapers the rest of your life and still suffering T and H! lol

 

[MikeP505]

Anyone wanna buy some bubble wrap??

 

[Bobby B]

What happens if your badly maimed and not killed in the accident? Now you have 3 nurses changing your diapers the rest of your life and still suffering T and H! lol

Well that's exactly what you should ask yourself next time you ride your Honda motorcycle - far more dangerous than a large modern sedan with shock absorbing body design and seat belts..

I may end up wiht a fender or bumper bent while you have head and back spine injuries

Not sure why you think you can lecture us on vehicle safety

 

[MikeP505]

Yo Bobby!! You should pour yourself a nice hot chocolate, sit back and relax while you REREAD all my posts on your thread! Never once did I lecture anyone on vehicle safety. Just telling everyone if they decide to deactivate airbags that are not made to be deactivated, to inform your insurance company of the changes. Otherwise cancel your insurance cause its gunna be frikkin useless buddy!!

 

[Bobby B]

Yo Bobby!! You should pour yourself a nice hot chocolate, sit back and relax while you REREAD all my posts on your thread! Never once did I lecture anyone on vehicle safety. Just telling everyone if they decide to deactivate airbags that are not made to be deactivated, to inform your insurance company of the changes. Otherwise cancel your insurance cause its gunna be frikkin useless buddy!!

Yes then @MikeP505 you can also re-read my post where I cleary mentionned that my insurance isn't covering insurer vehicle occupants or vehicle damages to start with - only damages to other cars so bags, even belts are irrelevant .

 

[MikeP505]

Fair enough brother Bobby! You win!!

 

[stophiss]

Bobby,
Airbag expert here. If you want to disable your airbags, we hear your argument...forgive the pun.
People make decisions about personal safety everyday. And, your motorcycle analogy I believe is correct and FWIW why I stopped riding motorcycles and I love motorcycles...everything about them other than the danger and I am an ex racer...riding at the track is safer than on American highways.

Only caveat is...family members and friends that may ride in your car. Airbags are another layer of protection.

30,000 deaths per year on American highways. That's 1/2 a football stadium of Americans.

Good luck to each of us out on American roads.

 

[Sen]

What happens if your badly maimed and not killed in the accident? Now you have 3 nurses changing your diapers the rest of your life and still suffering T and H! lol

Did you finish reading the sentence that you quoted or did you just stop there?

It's a risk I'm willing to take. If it happens, I suffer severely for the rest of my life, because I took that gamble. If I'm in a car accident it's significantly more likely that my pre-existing injuries would worsen from an airbag deployment than it would be for a maiming of any sort to occur.

Anyone wanna buy some bubble wrap??

You mean like the bubbles that wrap around you in a car accident? I'd have mine deactivated. Sounds like you're more into bubble wrap than me.

 

[Ed209]

Did you finish reading the sentence that you quoted or did you just stop there?

It's a risk I'm willing to take. If it happens, I suffer severely for the rest of my life, because I took that gamble. If I'm in a car accident it's significantly more likely that my pre-existing injuries would worsen from an airbag deployment than it would be for a maiming of any sort to occur.



You mean like the bubbles that wrap around you in a car accident? I'd have mine deactivated. Sounds like you're more into bubble wrap than me.

Sen would you say you are depressed? The reason I ask is because you are displaying a classic sign; a lack of respect for your own life. It's very sad to hear you feel that way, but maybe you are just projecting your sadness in this instance. It's not really a sane or rational way of thinking to say you'd rather be severely disabled or dead. You would also likely benefit from seeing a psychologist or counsellor of some kind to address your problems. Don't let tinnitus force you to think this way, it really doesn't have to be like that. There is help out there. Nothing is insurmountable.

 

[Vinnitus]

I wouldn't want to argue for deactivation of airbags as I'm sure they save lives in bigger accidents, but the main problem I might have with those safety devices is that they are able to deploy in case of more prevalent minor "accidents" like hitting a pole while slowly driving.

In this type of accident you would normally come out unscathed, but in the case of airbag deployment you have the chance to get away with hearing loss and/or Tinnitus. A rather unneeded injury in that case if you ask me.

I have heard of such cases before. Maybe the deployment of airbags has been more finely tuned by now, but that would be the only problem I would have with those things.

It's a fine line between where it's a good idea to deploy airbags because the accident is of such magnitude you are likely to acquire traumatic injuries (perhaps traumatic brain injury and develop Tinnitus from that) and where deploying airbags does more harm than good and potentially even injures you, while you would have come out well if there was no airbag. I bet it must be difficult for manufacturers to determine the right situation based on the limited sensory data they can gather (like impact detection).

 

[Kazue]

This is crazy. People would actually die instead of having severe T. You guys should get someone to talk to because that's not the right mindset to have. Live a positive life instead of being paranoid. That's not going to help any illness. Airbags aren't going to kill you. They're here for a reason. To save your life. I would rather be dead than lose my life. How silly would I look being flying out a window because I took out my airbags. I wouldn't even want someone to examine my cause of death because it could have been avoided. Driving carefully doesn't matter because there are other crazy drivers that don't give a shit about you or your life. Same to motorcyclists. I have way too much to achieve. And I would rather not pay $30 for something minor like that. I just find it hilarious that someone would do something like this....it's ridiculous. Please get some help.

 

[stophiss]

I wouldn't want to argue for deactivation of airbags as I'm sure they save lives in bigger accidents, but the main problem I might have with those safety devices is that they are able to deploy in case of more prevalent minor "accidents" like hitting a pole while slowly driving.

In this type of accident you would normally come out unscathed, but in the case of airbag deployment you have the chance to get away with hearing loss and/or Tinnitus. A rather unneeded injury in that case if you ask me.

I have heard of such cases before. Maybe the deployment of airbags has been more finely tuned by now, but that would be the only problem I would have with those things.

It's a fine line between where it's a good idea to deploy airbags because the accident is of such magnitude you are likely to acquire traumatic injuries (perhaps traumatic brain injury and develop Tinnitus from that) and where deploying airbags does more harm than good and potentially even injures you, while you would have come out well if there was no airbag. I bet it must be difficult for manufacturers to determine the right situation based on the limited sensory data they can gather (like impact detection).

Just not true. If you were from the Midwest, cars couldn't stay on the road with all the airbag deployments due to pot holes on the road...lol.
I worked in the industry. I know the guys that develop them. I know the technology. Again, I have no problem with guys who disable them...or who don't wear their seatbelt...or even ride a motorcycle without a helmet...other than all the living vegetables created by denying safety technology which btw increases medical costs and insurance premiums. What I do have a problem with, are people that make this decision for others unknowingly...like giving a ride to a neighbor without telling them you turned their airbag off. People do all kinds of things to compromise personal safety everyday. Its making this choice for others that is problematic.

 

[stophiss]

This is crazy.

In case you haven't noticed, yes, some people are crazy.

 

[Bobby B]

This is crazy. People would actually die instead of having severe T. You guys should get someone to talk to because that's not the right mindset to have. Live a positive life instead of being paranoid. That's not going to help any illness. Airbags aren't going to kill you. They're here for a reason. To save your life. I would rather be dead than lose my life. How silly would I look being flying out a window because I took out my airbags. I wouldn't even want someone to examine my cause of death because it could have been avoided. Driving carefully doesn't matter because there are other crazy drivers that don't give a shit about you or your life. Same to motorcyclists. I have way too much to achieve. And I would rather not pay $30 for something minor like that. I just find it hilarious that someone would do something like this....it's ridiculous. Please get some help.

The main safety device is the seat belt. No one is flying through windows chill out buddy.

You are only 15 so you never experienced the time when cars had no airbags at all and we still weren't dying like flies at the wheel, or flying through windows back then either, and we also had fun riding motorcycles as well with our girlfriends in the back seat and face to the wind..so all this bubble wrap safe life - lawsuit scare BS can stop right now.

Airbags technology is still very new - the bags are way too loud ! a 170 db time bomb close to my ears isn't a safety device in my book and yes the probability that it deploys during a low speed collision is higher because people pay less attention when driving slow.

In fact bags need to be disabled for smaller children because they can get their head blown away in addition to the noise blast , so if we cannot protect kids with air bags then I don't see any reason to protect my old self either.

Again, the only person who did post about her experience getting acoustic trauma T due to bags deployment clearly said she regret not having those bags disabled so lets take her opinion as reference... she is a mother after all and I value her opinion since she had the actual real world experience unlike all the other participants to this thread.

 

[Vinnitus]

Just not true. If you were from the Midwest, cars couldn't stay on the road with all the airbag deployments due to pot holes on the road...lol.
I worked in the industry. I know the guys that develop them. I know the technology. Again, I have no problem with guys who disable them...or who don't wear their seatbelt...or even ride a motorcycle without a helmet...other than all the living vegetables created by denying safety technology which btw increases medical costs and insurance premiums. What I do have a problem with, are people that make this decision for others unknowingly...like giving a ride to a neighbor without telling them you turned their airbag off. People do all kinds of things to compromise personal safety everyday. Its making this choice for others that is problematic.

Yes, well I am not entirely at home in airbag mechanics and what exactly determines whether they should deploy or not. I can imagine however, that every system has it's shortcomings and unexpected behaviour in certain (unexpected) situations, especially when the situations are as variable as during traffic. I can imagine airbags have to go by sensory data they receive from sensors measuring certain parameters (impact force, impact direction, etc). I can thus believe airbags might be able to deploy in inappropriate situations (like minor accidents) if either those sensors supply wrong data, aren't set up in a right way or any myriad of other things that can go wrong. No system has ever been perfect, but you're the expert in this field.

In any case, I personally wouldn't recommend deactivating them for the reasons you mentioned (but rather keep improving the technology). In bigger accidents they can surely be a lifesaver.

 

[LeQuack]

Deactiving automotive airbags
I found a small shop that was willing to do it - all they did is to disconnect the airbag computer which is a small device that is located under the center console between the front seats - took them 30 minutes and cost me 30 bucks and that's it - airbags won't blow up no matter what and the airbag indicator is on all the time so I feel a lot safer now .

Does that also disable the seat belt pre-tensioner? It's supposed to be linked to the SRS computer but could laso be separate from the airbags and just like with airbags there is an explosive charge and it's loud. Here is an example:

 

[stophiss]

The main safety device is the seat belt. No one is flying through windows chill out buddy.

You are only 15 so you never experienced the time when cars had no airbags at all and we still weren't dying like flies at the wheel, or flying through windows back then either, and we also had fun riding motorcycles as well with our girlfriends in the back seat and face to the wind..so all this bubble wrap safe life - lawsuit scare BS can stop right now.

Airbags technology is still very new - the bags are way too loud ! a 170 db time bomb close to my ears isn't a safety device in my book and yes the probability that it deploys during a low speed collision is higher because people pay less attention when driving slow.

In fact bags need to be disabled for smaller children because they can get their head blown away in addition to the noise blast , so if we cannot protect kids with air bags then I don't see any reason to protect my old self either.

Again, the only person who did post about her experience getting acoustic trauma T due to bags deployment clearly said she regret not having those bags disabled so lets take her opinion as reference... she is a mother after all and I value her opinion since she had the actual real world experience unlike all the other participants to this thread.

For the record, airbag technology is 30 years old. Airbags save lives even in slow speed crash due to 'cabin intrusion'...where seatbelts fall short. Otherwise, sensors would be set for high speed crashes only which is a simple tweak of the computer algorithm. Good that you mentioned this single lady posting her experience even though safety is more broadly discussed collectively. Perhaps we could call her a statistical outlier. Maybe you feel you are the same and you are willing to compromise 'potential' crash safety due to your statistically unusual hearing situation. I get that and in fact support it. You are a grown man and you interpret the data as you do.
A consideration for you however. If you disable the airbags...any or all of them in your vehicle, please consider placing a sign on the instrument panel stating you have done so to let others know that ride with you what you have done. Then...children excluded...they can make a choice about their personal safety as you have.

 

[stophiss]

Yes, well I am not entirely at home in airbag mechanics and what exactly determines whether they should deploy or not. I can imagine however, that every system has it's shortcomings and unexpected behaviour in certain (unexpected) situations, especially when the situations are as variable as during traffic. I can imagine airbags have to go by sensory data they receive from sensors measuring certain parameters (impact force, impact direction, etc). I can thus believe airbags might be able to deploy in inappropriate situations (like minor accidents) if either those sensors supply wrong data, aren't set up in a right way or any myriad of other things that can go wrong. No system has ever been perfect, but you're the expert in this field.

In any case, I personally wouldn't recommend deactivating them for the reasons you mentioned (but rather keep improving the technology). In bigger accidents they can surely be a lifesaver.

Will give you an analogy looking to the future. Driverless cars are the future. In thirty years, people won't be behind the wheel. You will call up your car ride to your door on your computer...likely by voice command. A news flash. All technology is fallible. Guess what? These cars will kill people, just like airbags do. That's right, driverless cars will kill people. But....currently conventional automotive transporation kills 30,000 per year in America like clockwork....many even with airbag technology. Driverless cars will kill MUCH fewer. But, this technology will fail from time to time, accidents will occur and people will be killed by this new technology as well.

 

[MikeP505]

Will give you an analogy looking to the future

May as well give it up my friend. Talking to this guy is like talking to a post! Nothing sinks in!

 

[Bobby B]

"Airbags can also be dangerous for children under 12 years if they sit in the front seat. Children's bones and muscles are still developing, and their head is larger than an adult's in relation to their body size. So it's harder for children to maintain an upright position in even a gentle collision. This means that they face a greater risk of coming face-to-face with the blunt force of the bag as it expands."

...Well its funny that someone mentioned the " 12 old girl riding as passenger lawsuit risk " in this thread...

The airbag sign is on and yes everyone is duly informed ..in fact no one had issues riding my other "zero safety edition" non-seat belt, solid steel car either or worse, my motorcycle.