Driver deaths in side-impact collisions dropped by more than 50 percent in sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) equipped with head-protecting side airbags, U.S. insurance industry research shows. Side airbags offering head protection could save the lives of about 2,000 drivers a year if every vehicle on the road had the equipment, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimated in a study released Thursday. While the benefits for SUVs with head-protecting airbags were higher, the study found the risk of death dropped 30 percent in side collisions involving SUVs with side airbags that only offer protection to the chest and abdomen. In passenger cars struck on the driver s side, the risk of a driver being killed declined 37 percent in vehicles with side airbags offering head protection, and fell 26 percent for cars with side airbags providing chest and abdomen protection. We found lower fatality risks across the board among older and younger drivers, male and female drivers, and drivers of both small cars and larger passenger vehicles, said the institute s vice president, Anne McCartt. First introduced on vehicles in the mid-1990s, side airbags are credited with helping passengers escape serious injuries and death when struck along the vehicle s doors. While a head-on crash allows the vehicle s front structure to absorb much of the impact, there is little protection for a driver struck in the side without the airbags. Side-impact crashes continue to be a concern for auto safety advocates. In 2004, the U.S. government estimated that over 9,000 people were killed in side crashes, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all traffic deaths. Automakers pledged in 2003 to install side airbags as standard equipment by the 2010 model year, and many vehicles currently offer the equipment.
