Almost all light trucks and passenger cars for the 2010 model year are going to be equipped with standard side airbags, thanks to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and an agreement in 2003 that was signed by all of the main carmakers.

Except for fleet sales, all cars are going to have side airbags that are head-protecting and also structural components in the front of the vehicle that will help absorb crash energy.  This arrives before a federal mandate made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that will require side-torso and side-curtain airbags in all cars for the model year 2013.  The deal that the carmakers made with the IIHS doesn’t contain side torso bags.

According to the NHTSA, in the event of a side-impact, 41% of deaths are the result of head injuries, which means the latest regulation will cause fatality risks to be reduced by 24%.  In the meantime, the IIHS has predicted that when all vehicles on the roads have side-impact airbags, fatalities on the roads could drop by around 2,000 per year.

These new safety measures will help drivers have peace of mind on the roads.  In addition, motorists should have a good roadside assistance program in case of an emergency.