Airbags activates only if you wear seatbelts
... Belt up for life
When a crash survivor walked into his car showroom to complain about the airbag that failed to open in his SUV, the first question was asked: “Did you wear the seatbelt when driving?’’
When the customer replied in the negative, the dealer explained that the airbag would open only if the seatbelt is worn. According to experts, many are not aware that in some cars, the airbags, the ones in front of the driver as well as the co-passenger, would open only if the seatbelt is worn.
For some people, a few things are purely decorative. Unfortunately, a seat belt is one of these things. It is so bad that commercial buses simply tie it up somewhere, rendering it useless and regrettably, private cars simply avoid it like a plague. The simple truth is that seat belts are purely functional and should always be used, regardless of your feelings towards them.
Airbags will not activate if seatbelts are not fastened and when they activate, they are violent in nature. They are inflated by a pyrotechnical charge that has a force similar to a small explosive device. They should get inflated within miliseconds to prevent a driver or passenger from colliding with the windscreen or steering wheel.
A lot of stories have been told about airbags fitment in a car, but many do not know the meaning of it. Simply put, an airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, and then quickly deflate during a collision.
The airbag provides an energyabsorbing surface between the vehicle’s occupants and a steering wheel, instrument panel, body pillar, headliner, and windshield.
The history of airbags technology as a safety device started way back in September 1, 1998 when a federal legislation in America made airbags mandatory in cars. Subsequently, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 finally went into effect. Simply put, the law required that all cars and light trucks sold in the United States have air bags on both sides of the front seat.
In many countries, there are concerns as to whether it is illegal to have no airbags. It is not illegal to drive a car or truck after the airbags have deployed. The bags deflate immediately so one only has to make sure the bag does not interfere with steering function.
In nigeria, like in other developing countries, one advocacy that is yet to gain traction among the prospective motoring public is the danger in driving vehicles without airbags.
However, when there is no airbag, the driver and other occupants are more likely to suffer more severe blunt force trauma injuries. We often see this in vehicle occupants who are in a car where the airbag failed to deploy. They may suffer serious or even fatal head injuries or other types of trauma that could prove catastrophic or lethal.
The purpose of the airbag is to provide the occupants a soft cushioning and restraint during a crash event. It can reduce injuries between the flailing occupant and the interior of the vehicle. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag and inflation module and impact sensor.
According to the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), the seat belts reduce seriousness of injuries by 50 percent and as such drivers and passengers have been advised to always use their seat belts, as it can reduce the severity of injuries.
‘’Airbags can break bones and cause serious or even fatal injuries to the head, neck, and chest during its deployment. Wearing your seat belt as much as possible ensures mimimum impact in the event of a road crash’’