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04-05-2013, 03:35 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Lexington Park, MD
Posts: 31
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Why no air-bags in RVs?
Surprised and curious why new RV's do not have air-bags for driver and/or passenger. Maybe the answer is obvious, but still curious. Hopefully never need them.
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2012 Coachmen 34BH
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04-05-2013, 04:08 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Powell River, B.C.
Posts: 31,486
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I can say that I've never paid attention to Class Cs or van conversions, for air bags, but as for Class As , I would think that given the angle and distance from , the steering wheel to the drivers seat that an air bag would be of little use; sholder belt ; when used ; would stop you before contact, more danger to your legs and feet than upper body. Passenger , distance to dash and windshield the same thing, little advantage to having a $2,000 air bag go off. Way more danger of getting something from inside the coach getting to you from behind , but they don't put " headache racks " in them either. 
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99DSDP 3884, Freightliner, XC, CAT 3126B, 300 HP /ALLISON 3060
2000 Caravan toad, Remco & Blue Ox.
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04-05-2013, 04:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Gulf Streamers Club
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Cincinnati
Posts: 19,925
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As Skip426 mentioned, the distance between dash and passenger seat makes it too big for an airbag, unless specially built with extra volume, to do any good. The driver's side in many models has a steering wheel that is more horizontal than vertical, so an airbag would be directed up, not back towards driver.
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Bob & Donna
'98 Gulf Stream Sun Voyager DP being pushed by a '00 Beetle TDI
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04-05-2013, 04:35 PM
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#4
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Administrator in Memoriam
Newmar Owners Club Retired Fire Service RVer's Spartan Chassis
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Newark, DE
Posts: 25,898
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IMHO, there are no air bags because they are not required by law.
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Adios, Dirk - '84 Real Lite Truck Camper, '86 Wilderness Cimarron TT, previously 4 years as a fulltimer in a '07 DSDP
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04-05-2013, 05:03 PM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 27,697
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As Dirk says, no law requiring them and no customer demand to speak of either.
As a practical matter, there is very low risk to front seat passengers in a Class A motorhome, so expensive protective measures for the front seat occupants are not warranted. Unfortunately, the lack of a legal requirement to provide air bags in all Class A's makes it cost prohibitive to get them as an option by those who want them.
This opinion comes from a guy & his wife who survived a major collision in their RV, demolishing two smaller vehicles and doing $50k damage to our own rig. I got a scratch on one shin as the dashboard pushed back; my wife didn't get a scratch.
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Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is West Palm Beach, FL
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04-05-2013, 05:28 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Rural Independence, OR
Posts: 951
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Sprinter Class B and Class C RVs have a full complement of air bags.
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04-05-2013, 07:15 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Storden,MN
Posts: 678
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Price... It cost a lot of money to develop such a system and there is not that many people getting killed in RV's just because they don't have them. Sounds cruel but, that's the way it is. Besides if you added the extra price to the purchase price of the RV it would make them so expensive that it would drive people out of the market.
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04-05-2013, 08:35 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: B.C.
Posts: 4,638
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Some RV's do have windbags! Couldn't resist.
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Dennis & Marcie & Captain Hook The Jack Russell,aka PUP, 2006 Itasca 29R 2017 Equinox toad. RVM59
We came, we went, nothing broken, nothing bent!
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04-05-2013, 08:45 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Country Coach Owners Club Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 37,725
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slickest1
Some RV's do have windbags! Couldn't resist.
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You beat me to it!! 
__________________
2009 45' Magna 630 w/Cummins ISX 650 HP/1950 Lbs Ft, HWH Active Air
Charter Good Sam Lifetime Member, FMCA,
RV'ing since 1957, NRA Benefactor Life, towing '21 Jeep JLU Rubicon Ecodiesel
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04-05-2013, 10:11 PM
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#10
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: In a lawnchair
Posts: 11,993
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slickest1
Some RV's do have windbags! Couldn't resist.
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04-05-2013, 10:31 PM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: The Land Of Oz RVM17
Posts: 1,592
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Most school buses don't have seat belts or airbags. Very few semi trucks have airbags as of late.
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04-06-2013, 05:41 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 1,217
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The weight of the vehicle does not have the fast deceleration in an accident like a lightweight car.
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04-06-2013, 08:10 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Appalachian Campers
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Dixie !! (north Georgia) USA
Posts: 4,114
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slickest1
Some RV's do have windbags! Couldn't resist.
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So right! I have talked to them in motorhomes, 5th wheels and travel trailers. 
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04-06-2013, 08:31 AM
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#14
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RV Mutant #14
Winnebago Owners Club Texas Boomers Club Freightliner Owners Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 17,216
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slickest1
Some RV's do have windbags! Couldn't resist.
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And every once in a while the blow up with no reason at all!!!
__________________
Wayne MSGT USMC (Ret) & Earlene (CinCHouse) RVM14 (ARS: KE5QG)
Lexi - Goldendoodle
2015 Winnebago Tour 42QD - 2020 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve
It is what it is, and then it is what you make of it.
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