Safety items Side Air Bags, Side Air Curtain, Xenon Lights

[OldRelayer]

We recently had the unpleasant experience of knowing someone that had a small accident and hit his head on the window and died from head injuries.

So needless to say our next car is going to have protection from such an injury. I am looking at a 2004 now, which is in every other respect just about perfect, the price is good, the color is pefect and it has pretty much all the options we want.

But two of the things I think we want is Side air Curtains and Xenon lights. This car has neither. When we went from our 95 to our 98 Mark one of the big reasons I traded was for the lights and they are remarkable. The salesman of course is saying even the regular lights are far better then our old Mark, but I am not so sure, can anyone shed light on this subject?

I thought you needed the side air curtains for head protection.
When I asked about the Side air bags verses the Side Air curtains he claims that the side air curtains are to keep glass and debris out of the car, and not for head protection that the Side air bags were for head protection, I doubt this statement but I really don't know for sure. I have hunted I can't find an article on the difference. Does anyone know what is what on this subject?