Could a 5 point seatbelt take the place of airbags in a VW bus. How much protection does it add in a crash.?

Question

If i added a roll cage would it be able to be safe enough to not need airbags.

Answer 1

a racing harness has to be attached to a bar which is welded into the roll cage. which you dont have.

and even if you did get a harness in there it wouldnt be safe without a cage.

Answer 2

It would help a lot.

I rolled a buggy up hill going about 60 or so while wearing a 5 point harness and was just fine. The car was a little bent but I drove it away after I fixed the flat tire.

If you build a good cage, make sure your seats are mounted to the cage and not to the bus floor. Also weld in brackets to hold the harnesses to the cage.

Answer 3

The first three answers are correct and they know what they're talking about.  5 point harnesses need to be installed correctly or they will cause injuries.

There is a major design problem with rear engined VW buses.  A good friend of mine is a surgeon told me that throughout the years, all the leg amputations that she has had to do were from frontal crashes involving VW buses.  Even airbags won't help in this type of crash.  

Answer 4

...***EDIT***

If you add a roll cage you will need to wear a helmet. Ever hit your head on a giant piece of steel?. So let's see what we have....Roll cage, harness, and helmet. Go get um!

How about not crashing?

...uh-oh, you started typing in CAPS. Getting angry that no one has ever done this and will not be able to tell you the exact answer? Upgrade your brakes, tires, and suspension first. You may be able to avoid the accident this way. Roll cages are more for roll overs. They don't have a huge effect on front end crashes. The harness will help in a front end crash. If you are that worried about crashing then it is time for a car made in the last 20 years. Save the VW for short trips and car shows.

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4/5/6/7 point harnesses should only be used with a roll bar/roll cage.

Reason#1 is --in the event of a rollover your body cannot slide out of the way--as it can with a 3 pt Factory harness.

I guess it all depends how you will use your car and how safety conscious you are.

Reason #2

You want to wrap the harness aroiund the roll bar right behind your seat. The longer the strap ( if you get long ones and bolt to the floor/rear etc) is the straps will stretch in an impact.

reason #3

You do not want to mount the shoulder straps to the floor --the angle will be wrong and can result in additional injuries according to the belt manufacturers.

Also --harnesses on the street are not all that "easy" to drive with --unless you like being tightly strapped into the seat ( forget changing the radio station. If you leave the belts loose--you defeat the safety of the harness--there is not a tensioner on the 4/5/6/7 pt harnesses.