VEHICLE OCCUPANT PROTECTION DEVICE

An occupant protection device includes an airbag 10 that is inflated with gas from an inflator 20 at a side of an occupant B to protect the body of the occupant B from the shoulder Ba to the lumbar Bd, the airbag 10 having substantially the same vertical dimension as that of a seat back Aa. In this occupant protection device, uninflatable sections 12 and 13 are formed in a vertical center portion 10c of the airbag 10, that is, at a position corresponding to the chest Bb and the abdomen Bc of the occupant B. Accordingly, a region which is thinner than an upper portion 10a and a lower portion 10b of the airbag 10 in a vehicle width direction when the airbag 10 is inflated and that extends substantially parallel to the seat back Aa is formed substantially at the center of the airbag 10.