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How Does an Airbag Restrain?
In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact
the steering wheel or the instrument panel.
In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted
occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.
The airbag supplements the protection provided
by safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant’s
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But the frontal airbags would not help you in
many types of collisions, including rollovers, rear
impacts, and many side impacts, primarily because
an occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag.
Roof-mounted rollover airbags would not help
you in many types of collisions, including many
frontal or near frontal collisions, and rear impacts,
primarily because an occupant’s motion is not
toward the airbag. Airbags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement
to safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severe frontal or near-frontal collisions for the
driver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags,
and only in moderate to severe side collisions
for roof-mounted rollover airbags.
What Will You See After an
Airbag Inflates?
After a frontal airbag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so quickly that some people may not even realize
the airbag inflated. Roof-mounted rollover
airbags deflate more slowly and may still be at
least partially inflated minutes after the vehicle
comes to rest. Some components of the airbag
module may be hot for a short time. These
components include the steering wheel hub for the
driver’s frontal airbag and the instrument panel
for the right front passenger’s frontal airbag.
For vehicles with roof-mounted rollover airbags,
the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows
may be hot. The parts of the bag that come
into contact with you may be warm, but not too
hot to touch. There will be some smoke and dust
coming from the vents in the deflated airbags.
Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver from
seeing out of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from
leaving the vehicle.
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