Randy,
I was just trying to say that side-impact bags are additional saftey features that don't help in every situation - just like a second engine. The principal is the same, and that's all I was after.
Engines are still the most complex bits in a helicopter. They do fail. While other things do fail, and a helicopter sans engines is still more complicated than just the engine, having a second one can help. It is more expencive, more complex, and (in some cases) more difficult to operate - but when you think of the price of writing off a helicopter due to a heavy auto, botched auto over a city, or a forced landing into the abyss, the extra money looks like pocket change.
There are places where having a twin is an absolute necissity, such as on a CSAR mission behind enemy lines or when the helicopter gets too big for one engine to suffice, but I doubt there is any situation where having another engine couldn't help given one of numerous possibilities. It was realized that there aren't many places to safley set a jumbo jet down save an airport, so why do you think ALL airliners and commuter planes have at least two engines?
I have no problem when people say "twin engines cost more", cause they do, but it bugs me when people say "twin engines aren't safer". The margin isn't that wide, but there is a situation when an engine fails or must be shut down, and the landing options are pretty slim. In that case, having a second engine could be invaluable.
Mike