My mother has been in the insurance industry for the last 30 years . She
has extensive experience in the claims division. She says she can't tell
enough people to wear their seatbelt. She's seen countless accidents
where the person in the car wearing a seatbelt walked away from the
crash. Whereas the other person in the vehicle is dead because they
chose not to wear a seatbelt.  Airbags do make a HUGE difference,but
without a seatbelt they're pracically useless. Look at crash ratings to
see which car has better ratings. Smaller doesn't neccessarily mean less
safe. If a smaller car has better crumple zones than a bigger car does.
The smaller car will generally be more safe because the car is design to
'absorb' the impact. Google safety ratings for the model your interested
in.

Will a helmet keep the steering column from piercing your chest?

Will a helmet keep your neck and ribs from snapping when that SUV hits you
directly on the driver's door at 60mph?

The answer to both questions is "NO".  An airbag likely would, though.

I wouldn't drive, or let any member of my family drive, a vehicle without
airbags.  Yeah, we all used to do it "back in the day", but things change.
There's just no good reason to not have them now.  Not to mention the fact
that the roads are crowded with inattentive morons talking on cell phones
while driving 20+ MPH over the speed limit, and driving the biggest
vehicle they (can't) afford.  An airbag is a necessity.

We're talking safety here, not gas mileage.  Would you rather be safe(r),
or save $0.23 on a trip across town?

Tire sizes are generally quite a bit wider now-a-days than they used to
be, not to mention the existence of ABS.  Today's cars can stop *MUCH*
better than a car of 15-20 years ago.

That's beyond our control, and not a factor in anything.

great car.

if that is truly a concern, wear a helmet.  seriously.  if transport
safety authorities were serious about safety, helmets and 5-point seat
belts would be mandatory.

these are not airbag issues, but they are "should i buy a more modern
car or look at the big picture" issues:

1. paradoxically, the gas savings of more efficient modern engines are
offset by much heavier modern cars, so no benefit there.

2. heavier cars are harder to stop, given that tire sizes are the same
and thus available braking traction is the same.

3. modern cars consume more resources in their manufacture.

I have a 1991 Honda Civic and it runs well, but I feel like I should
probably buy a newer car with airbags for more safety in a crash.
Another reason I might want to buy another car is that mine is small.
A larger car would probably provide additional protection.  On the
other hand, if I keep my current car I'd save money.  Does anyone
think it's not necessarily worthy spending the money for a bigger car
with airbags?