Toyota develops rear-seat centre airbag

Attention, rubbish drivers: scientists at Toyota have developed a new type of airbag that could reduce the severity of injuries suffered by passenger in the rear seat. Or it could smash their frickin' skulls open.

The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbag -- or rearbag, as we're calling it -- lives in a fixed centre console above passengers' heads. When the vehicle is hit side-on, the rearbag deploys to form a cushion between the occupants, reducing the likelihood of passengers injuring one another.

We like the idea, but we're concerned it might be a tad dangerous. If it were to deploy when a passenger is sitting directly beneath the centre console, or leaning across the divide, the results might be a little painful, to say the least.

SRS airbags will feature in a range of popular Toyota models in the near future. Here's hoping we'll never need to use them.

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