rotate

I want to start off by apologizing if this is a repost. I am soon going to order my 2006 aritc white on red coupe, but being a safety freak I want to be sure I'm getting a safe car. NHTSA says that the corvett's side airbags are combo bags which extend upwards to offer head as well as side protection. This information can be seen by following this link: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testin...ideAirBags.cfm

When I called Chevy nobody knew anything about it and just told me to always wear my seatbelt. Its very important to me to make sure that these airbags protect your head. My dad is a doctor and has seen the horrors of accidents in the ER and considers stability control and head protecting side airbags the two most improtant things a car can have. Does anyone know if the side airbags on the 06 vette( I am getting the 3LT package, I know that the 1LT doesen't have side airbags) protect your head? Does anyone have any pictures of the side airbags deployed, or any other relevant information? Thank you so much for helping, and again sorry if this is a re-post.

Shrike6

If NHTSA says they will provide head protection, that's as good info as you're going to get. They get all the engineering specs and do the crash testing. They know better than some junior flunkie at GM you're likely to get on the phone. Buy and enjoy.
GM

Flatbush_Harry

Our government is the best that campaign contributions can buy and if they say it's ok, it's ok. Seriously, though, the NHTSA is not asleep on this...you can trust them for comparative research. Enjoy the ride.



Harry

Shrike6

Oh, by the way,
You said your dad is a doctor. I therefore assume you are younger, rather than older. If you truly are concerned about safety, take a high performance driving course. Not only do you learn how to drive fast, you will learn car control, which is the #1 safety issue. Not airbags, or daytime running lights... car control.
The corvette is a very quick and powerful car, and I've driven lots of them. You WILL need to learn how to respect it's handling characteristics, and be in TOTAL CONTROL of your vehicle at all times. Defensive driving and perfect control will save your bacon many times over a lifetime of driving.
I come from a pre-computer time when caps were added for emphasis (I'm not shouting). Tell your dad ( if he is buying you this car ) to send you for a Bob Bondurant driving school first. Then he won't have to worry about his son showing up in his ER some night.
You can avoid almost all accidents if your are well trained and stay aware of your surroundings. I've been driving sports cars for 30+ years, and never had an accident. I sincerely hope you do the same, and enjoy your 'vette!
GM

Another Yellow

The Special Issue of Corvette Quarterly that came out ast year has a color drawing of the side airbag deployed on page 84. It sure does protect the head. Back issues are available. Call Laraine Pugia, Subscription Service Rep. at 586 558-3809 and ask for The Sixth Generation Special Issue.

I'm also a big fan of safety and I as very pleased when I saw the protection offered.

Frank

rotate

Thanks for the good advise. My dad and I are planning on going to a driving school. We were going to try skip barbar but now I think I'll check out the Bob Bondurant driving school you mentioned. I agree that this car can be very dangerous if you don't know what your doing and value your advise immensly. Its nice to be be in a forum with people who actually care enough to read a newbies post and give their good intentioned opnions. Thank you for the post.

rotate

Thanks for the info! I just called and left a message requesting a back issue.

gota07

Since I have nothing more to add to your question:

Welcome aboard.