More than 90 percent of passenger vehicles have some type of side air bags, but many do not protect children because the design does not allow proper contact to the child's shorter body. Side air bags that are said to offer torso protection provide some protection for some children's heads and upper bodies, while head curtain air bags will only protect a child if they cover the full window and the child is tall enough to see out the window. To assess if your children are tall enough to be protected, look on the automaker's website or at the vehicle brochure for a picture of the air bags when deployed and compare it to where your children are seated in that car. Finding a car that offers some protection for your kids is worth the extra research -- statistics show that side air bags reduce deaths by 26 percent to 52 percent depending on the type of air bag and vehicle.