During the tests conducted, specialists found that in frontal impacts with 25 and 40 percent overlap, knee airbags reduce the likelihood of injury only from 7.9 to 7.4 percent. This difference is within the statistical margin of error and cannot be considered a significant improvement.
Moreover, as noted by IIHS, in a number of situations such airbags can even increase the danger — for example, in a crash with 25 percent overlap, the risk of injuries to the lower leg and right thigh increased. But with 40 percent overlap, the indicators remained almost unchanged in both directions.
Experts explained that such airbags are installed mainly to successfully pass crash tests, where dummies are not fastened with seat belts. Under such conditions, the presence of a knee airbag can indeed reduce the likelihood of serious injuries to the passenger.
