Okay, a quick googling led me to this [1] It appears that passenger side airbags that automatically disable are not required, but they were explicitly allowed

Okay, a quick googling led me to this [1] It appears that passenger side airbags that automatically disable are not required, but they were explicitly allowed ca 1997 by the NHTSA (as well as allowing a manual on/off switch). So my original point was somewhat mistaken. Of course, cars do have a weight sensor to alert you when the passenger seatbelt isn't fastened, so still, the car knows when you have a passenger. 1) http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/Air-Bags/Deactivation-FAQ http://www.safercar.gov/Vehicle-Shoppers/Air-Bags/Deactivati...