wood steering wheel

Moss sells the only one I know of:

I know this goes against current practice but are airbags really necessary? In over 35 years of driving I've never had an accident where a drivers airbag would have helped and hope to keep it that way. Is it worth putting up with ugly steering wheels for the 'just in case' -?

These days at least some manufacturers know how to make nice looking steering wheels with airbags.

Six weeks ago I was involved in a serious accident where the Miata I was driving was totaled. All the EMTs and police and doctors were amazed that I was alive and with no serious injuries. I was just starting a left turn and a Ford F-150 hit my right front at 55 mph. The seat belt AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, the airbag, saved my life. Yes, the accident was my fault but the airbag protected my head and neck. I just didn't see the truck coming. But I will never drive a car without an airbag. Our new Miata has driver and passenger airbags. You never know when it will be needed so risking your life for the "just in case" reason is foolish. Tom

Well each to his own - however I would not be without one just as I won't drive without the seat belt. Of course you may never need either but rather safe than sorry.

Kind regards Bruno

PS. As for seat belts I just read an article detailing how 3 out of 4 deaths in car accidents could have been avoided had the people worn seat belts.

Personally, I'd prefer no airbags. The government mandated air bags because people are too lazy/stupid to fasten seat belts but passive restraints are a very distant second best to a proper roll cage with lap and shoulder belts. I wear seat belts (had to go buy WWII surplus back in the '50s/60s because you couldn't get them in cars then) and feel the "passive" restraint concept is interferring with Darwin's laws...

Air bags are not just for those without seat belts so the issue is not at simple as that. If I'm not mistaken a European air bag is smaller and timed differently than a US one due to most people here in the old world wearing seat belts so surely there must be a benefit still with belts.

For optimum safety we should of course all be wearing 6-point belts, a HANS device, Helmet and the car must have a roll cage plus Lexan windows but for every day I use practicality wins over safety. How ever I don't seen anything impractical about air bags.

Earlier today I was caught in traffic between an Excursion, with a huge Bull bar, and a Escalade waiting for green. That made me thing that my MX-5 needs ejector seats more than anything. Fortunately we don't see many of those type of SUV's here it's more Porsche Cayenne's and Range Rovers (which is bad enough).

Kind regards Bruno

1. Accidental deployment causes accidents and sometimes kills people
2. Airbags only work one time, after the first impact they deploy and there is NO protection for a second impact.
3. Mandating airbags (passive safety devices) stopped all research on non-passive safety devices.

I'd still prefer proper shoulder harness/seatbelt and roll cage.

Far fetched. I do not know about a single case of accidental deployment, having friends working in airbag development.

Modern airbags deploy when the sensors think it is worth it. If the first impact is judged to be hard enough and/or no seat belt is worn, the airbag fires. If deceleration at first impact is not so important, then it stays in and waits for the second impact.

Modern seat sensors can sense the way you sit and tailor the airbag deployment accordingly. Cool stuff.

Don't know if ESP is the right english acronym for the thing that selectively brakes single wheels in order to stabilize the car. But it's active and it's been introduced after airbags.

Roll cages are for race cars. Not practical in a road car.

cu .\\arc

Though not probable, it is possible. Even more so in that less than two months ago one of my club members was driving "straight and level", without anyone fore or aft, and the bag deployed. -- Now the caveats on the situation. (a) His airbag warning indicator had been blinking for about a week and (b) 'twas a '91 NA, meaning it was a 1st gen airbag system with 17 year old connections and system battery.

- L

And what was the warning indicator telling him? "stupid, stupid, stupid, ...........! " "There is something wrong stupid!" If you don't want to be helped, I guess you can't be helped ! I guess this is the same kind of driver that see's a sign that tells him to slow because of a bad section of road ahead, so he speeds up just to see if they knew what they knew what they were talking about, then comes back to tell you the car handels poorly when it goes off the road. Yep, "natural selection"

Bruce Bing '03 LS

Who's going to bother with a 6-point harness on the street? Not me. Certainly not any woman wearing a dress. To work, a harness has to be so tight it's hard to breathe; forget about adjusting the heater or radio. As for a cage, might as well buy a coupe.

The Miata's airbags are not a substitute for wearing seatbelts. The first S in "SRS" is for Supplemental--the bags and belts are designed to work as a system, neither providing effective protection by itself.

Jesus. That's such a stupid statement I can't even respond. Whatever happened to taking responsibility for one's poor judgment?

The poor judgement was at the NHTSA that mandated a device without propper testing.

Do your own reaseach on the matter, or better yet, since I've done it for you, go reat this:

Be warned, that the study contains x-ray images of some of the children killed in low speed airbag deployments.

Actually, he went to the dealer prior to the incident and their response was, "We can't find anything wrong. We don't know why it's blinking..."

As to the kind of driver, he is one of the most safety concious drivers/riders I have ever met. Though he applies the skills he has earned over 30 years autocrossing and motorcycling, he only pushes his (and his vehicle's) limits when on a track.

- L

I am certainly biased, but I do literally owe my life to my airbag. And my seat belt. And great surgeons. And Life Flight. But first and most importantly, my airbag and seatbelt. I've got a recent post up at my blog about Life Flight

and it shows a picture of why I am so grateful for my airbag and seatbelt. Wouldn't drive without them both. In over 32 years of driving I had never had an accident where an airbag would have helped me. Until I did, on August 23, 2004. It's like... a person whose never been struck by lighting, until they are. Or never been pregnant, until the line turns blue. -Carol

I stand by my word ! I guess if the "dealed" said they couldn't find anything wrong, then nothing was wrong ! ( ??? ) So now you just drive on in your happy little way and "nothing will happen", right ? It's just my guess, but I dought that the "dealer" could pour piss out of a boot with the instructions on the heel ! :-) Just for what it is worth, that light does not just flash because it doesn't have anything else to do. I don't know your friend, but I think that if he were as "safety driven" as you say, he should not have stopped at just one answer, ....... "gosh, we ain't never seen one of them lights do that before Bubba !" I'm not trying to flame you, but if there is something wrong, find out what it is before it "hurts you". You see, I have been flying big airplanes for over 50 years and when bad things happen in one of those, it's a damm long way down to pull over and see what is wrong. :-) ( Yes, I understand "safety" ! )

Bruce Bing '03 LS

Lanny Chambers wrote in news:lanny- snipped-for-privacy@news.kc.sbcglobal.net:

The leather on mine (94) is in awful condition. Not only does it look bad, but it actually comes off on my hands, especially when it's really humid. I want to get as close to the original feel/look as I can. I've casually looked at the generic wheel covers they have at Autozone and Walmart, but most of them add more bulk than I'd like and/or look stupid.

-Scott