While UTV safety has come a long way in recent years with the addition of better roll cages, better seats, and better engineering throughout, they're still fairly dangerous machines. And most of that comes down to just how capable they are. We watch videos, see pro drivers, and hear how they can do it all, which only gives normal humans the impression that we can do it, too.
More often than not, it's the squishy human behind the wheel that's the problem, as we overestimate our own capabilities and driving prowess. Shocker, I know. Yet, every day, search "UTV" or "side-by-side" in Google News, and you'll find someone's wrecked, crashed, or rolled their machine, likely due to their own inability to drive something as capable.
That's left many to wonder and conjure up ways to improve side-by-side safety, including better sensors, better engine management, better suspension control, increased tech, and even better engineering in the vehicle's chassis. One technology, however, has remained absent that's also found in every single on-road vehicle since the 1970s: airbags.
That could be changing, and wouldn't you know, the company pushing the airbag technology further was Swedish.
The company behind the patent, which was uncovered by our friends over at UTV Driver, is none other than Autoliv, the same folks behind that weird motorcycle helmet chinstrap patent, and the first folks to introduce a motorcycle airbag many, many years ago. But the basic premise of the company's latest patent is to add front, rear, and side-impact airbags to a UTV. And in the case of the patent drawing, it looks like a Polaris RZR.
Autoliv's airbags differ slightly from those you'd see in a modern car, but work off the same basic premise. For the front airbags, instead of popping out of the steering wheel, the airbag acts like a car's now-ubiquitous side curtain airbags, dropping from above, as does the rear airbag. The side impact airbags, however, curl around from behind the seats and protect the occupants' arms and legs from impacts.
Now, all of this is to say, these apparently wouldn't act like normal airbags, in that a simple crash or bump wouldn't activate them like you see when folks try to take their Ram TRX or Ford Raptors off-road, only for the airbags to deploy under the slightest shock. No, Autoliv's patent mentions that these are more designed for rollover accidents, as this is the most common to see serious injury and the one accident where airbags could do the most good to ensure passenger safety.
According to the patent, "The present disclosure is directed to inflatable airbag systems that may be utilized with UTVs to help reduce or minimize occupant injury in a vehicle collision or rollover by keeping passengers within the safety of the roll cage. Inflatable airbag systems may be installed at various locations within the UTV, including, but not limited to, the steering wheel, the instrument panel, within the side doors or side seats, coupled to the roll cage, in an overhead position, or at the knee or leg position. In the following disclosure, 'airbag' generally refers to an inflatable airbag or cushion."
How Autoliv would make sure an airbag didn't deploy on a random high-speed rut, however, is still anyone's guess. But what do you all think? Are you ready for UTVs with airbags? I can definitely see the upside, so long as Autoliv gets the calibration right.
