Most cars have a button that turns the passenger airbag off. In my car, it’s always turned off. I have grandkids whom the state has said are old enough to ride in the front seat (it should be based on size, rather than age...none of their business) and I am short. I’d much rather miss kissing the dashboard AND the airbag.
As for people forgetting they have a kid with them, WTF??? How do you miss that?!
Before airbags, no one left their baby in their car because, distracted or not, they saw their baby as they were exiting their car.
WTF... you are talking about kids old enough to sit in the front seat. The issue is babies in baby car seats who are not able to unlock and open a door when they get hot.
I did not miss one thing.
No, they don't. On vehicles required to have air bags, only certain vehicles have a way to turn off the front passenger air bag (pickups with no rear seat, two-seaters like the SMART car, or cars/trucks with rear seats that are too small to accommodate a rear-facing child safety seat).
The law does allow the consumer of the vehicle to install one in the non-exempt vehicles, but not the manufacturer.