While seat belts are crucial to your safety, there is another safety feature in your car that’s easily forgotten: Airbags.  Airbags first appeared in automobiles in the 1980s.  All car models made in 1998 or late are required in the US to have airbags on the driver and passenger sides.  Here are some things you should know about this standard automobile equipment.

What are the parts of an airbag?

There are three things that compose an airbag.  The bag itself, which is made out of a nylon fabric that is thin and lightweight.  There is a crash sensor and when a collision occurs, the sensor is triggered and tells the bag to inflate.  The inflation system combines elements to produce nitrogen gas, inflating the nylon bag.

How do they work?

When a collision occurs with a force equal to running into a brick wall at only 10 to 15 mph, the crash sensor is triggered and the nitrogen gas is produced, ejecting the airbag.  The bag bursts from the storage site (like the steering wheel) at around 200 mph, but quickly deflates to allow the person to move after the accident.  The powder that’s ejected with the airbag is either talcum powder or cornstarch, used by the manufacturers to keep the airbag flexible.

Types of Airbags

• Front Airbags – the driver’s airbag deploys from the steering wheel and the passenger’s airbag deploys from the dashboard.
• Side Airbags – there are airbags that deploy from the side of seats to protect the passengers’ torsos and there are airbags in the ceiling (known as curtain airbags) to protect passengers’ heads.
• Knee Airbags – many car manufacturers, including Toyota, now include airbags that deploy from the bottom part of the dashboard to protect the knees of the people in the front seats.
• Inflatable Seat belts – there is technology now that incorporates airbags in the seat belts.  However, the purpose of seat belt airbags is to spread out the impact of the crash across the person’s entire body.

The Dangers of Airbags

Children are the most vulnerable to airbag injuries.  In rear-facing car seats, the force of the airbag can break the car seat and harm the child.  In forward-facing car seats, children are sitting closer to an airbag than an adult  passenger sitting in the seat; this leaves them dangerously closer to the airbag being deployed at 200 mph.  Even young teenagers can be prone to injury since they’re usually smaller than full grown adults.  It’s important for parents to be aware of the potential dangers airbags pose to their children.

As a general rule, it’s safest to keep children under the age of ten in the backseat.  Because many automobiles now include airbags in the back seats, it’s important to put children in car seats in seats without airbags, typically in the middle.

Understanding airbags and their importance will help you be a safer driver and keep your passengers safe as well.  If you’ve been injured in a car accident or if you’ve been injured due to faulty airbags, contact the Kyle Law Firm servicing the San Marcos, New Braunfels and Seguin, Texas, areas.

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