It's Your Head that Counts

It has always been Porsche’s policy to set new standards time and again in improving passive safety systems inside the car.

Accordingly, the POSIP safety system was introduced for the first time with the launch of the 911 Carrera and is naturally also available in the Boxster, the 911 Cabriolet, and the Carrera 4. The abbreviation for Porsche Side Impact Protection, POSIP stands for an entirely new type of side airbag offering the driver and front passenger a broader scope of protection than conventional side airbags are able to provide. Another special feature of POSIP is that the two airbags are able to offer the same superior protection also in an open convertible. Indeed, Porsche is the only car maker to offer side airbags suitable for a convertible and not just for a car with a fixed roof. Side airbags are standard on all 911 models in the 1999 model year.

Housed in the door panel, the airbag modules also differ from conventional units through their particularly large volume when inflated. With their capacity of 30 litres or almost 1.1 cu ft, these extra-large airbags offer the occupants not only the usual protection around their shoulders in the event of a collision from the side, but also protect your whole body from chest to head level. This superior standard of all-round safety ensured by the POSIP system is made possible by the above-average volume of the airbag regardless of the fore-and-aft seat position.

The side airbags are inflated when required by a hybrid gas generator. Accordingly, the pyrotechnical system is restricted to an absolute minimum in this case, serving primarily to open the valve allowing the two precious gases argon and helium to flow out of a pressure vessel into the gas-tight airbags actuated when required by a sensor on the sill beneath the door.