What Car? Q&A - Why switch off an airbag?

Q: I am taking delivery of a Skoda Fabia 1.4 16v, and have noticed that it comes fitted with a front passenger airbag deactivation switch. Why is such a switch fitted, and why would you want to turn an airbag off?
Tony Smith

A: You would want to deactivate an airbag if you are using a rear-facing baby seat in the front passenger seat. You can only use one of these seats if there is no passenger airbag fitted or you can disable it.

This is because in the event of an accident, the airbag will inflate and could hit the back of the baby’s head, breaking its neck.