What do you think about airbags?

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Injuries associated with airbag deployment
L A Wallis1, I Greaves2
Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, UK
Peterborough District Hospital, Peterborough, UK

Injury prevention is an increasingly important component of healthcare policy in many developed countries, especially where limited resources are an important constraint. It is a stated aim of the United Kingdom government, for example, to reduce trauma deaths among children and young adults by 20% (from 1996 levels) by 2010.1 The commonest cause of such deaths in the UK is motor vehicle crashes (MVC), and the same is true of the United States of America.2 In the UK in 1996, 250 000 MVC victims attended hospital and 3000 of them died.1

In both the UK and USA, the number of car users who have been killed or seriously injured has fallen over the past 30 years despite huge increases in the volume of traffic (R Cuerden, et al, 63rd Road safety conference, 1998). There have been many national programmes over the years to effect this reduction: useful strategies have included rigorous enforcement of speed limits, compulsory seat belt wearing and, more recently, the introduction of airbags into vehicles. Although correctly fitted three point seat belts have been shown to be safer than airbags,4 there is no doubt that airbags in themselves reduce deaths.3 If both devices are used together, further reductions in mortality are to be expected.
...
The first case report of an airbag associated fatality in the UK was published in 2000.6 In the USA, where airbags are larger and more powerful and seat belt law varies from state to state, airbag related deaths and injuries are more common.

COUNTS OF
FRONTAL AIR BAG RELATED
FATALITIES AND SERIOUSLY
INJURED PERSONS
REPORT DATE:
July
1, 2007
U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL
CENTER FOR STATISTICS AND ANALYSIS
CRASH INVESTIGATION DIVISION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590

I was alarmed to read that using my fourby as a fourby, i.e. four wheel driving, could activate the airbags.
WTF?

"Specific Injury Patterns Ocular
The eye is extremely vulnerable to air bag-induced injury. These injuries range from corneal abrasions from contact with the air bag, chemical burns from contact with unburned sodium azide, to retinal detachment and globe rupture from the blunt force trauma of the expanding bag (Fig. 3). The wearing of eyeglasses in some cases has proven to be of benefit, as it offers a degree of barrier protection between the eye and the deploying bag."

even if it did have airbags it wouldn't be any safer. there could be a risk of self deployment at that ripe old age of 27.?

put in a new steering wheel?