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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. Airbags
supplement 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.
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 or rollovers
for vehicles with roof-mounted rollover airbags.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
After the airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so
quickly that some people may not even realize
the airbag inflated. 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 side impact airbags,
the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windows
may be hot. The parts of the airbag that come into
contact with you may be warm, but not too hot to
touch. There may be some smoke and dust coming
from the vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag
inflation does not prevent the driver from seeing or
being able to steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent
people from leaving the vehicle.
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