You knew it was coming, meaning it’s been a while since we last heard of an automaker announcing a new type of airbag. The latest ‘revolution’ in the airbag biz comes from Toyota that has developed the world’s first rear window curtain shield airbag that’s supposed to protect rear passengers’ heads in the event of a rear-end collision. We thought that was supposed to happen by the headrests but evidently the Japanese carmaker believes the protection provided is not enough. -Continued
The new airbag deploys from the roof lining above the rear window in the form of a curtain-like barrier and according to Toyota, together with the headrests, it minimizes impact to the head from a colliding vehicle or parts of the hit vehicle. The rear-window airbag will make its debut on the soon-to-be launched “iQ” minicar.
The intent behind airbags is to save your life which is of course a good thing, but we’re getting a feeling lately that automakers are seeing airbags as more of a marketing gimmick than a safety measure.