The Importance of Airbags in Preventing Serious Injury During Car Accidents
The last thing any drivers wants as they drive down the road is to see another car barreling towards them out of control. Even the best drivers can’t avoid accidents sometimes, though, which is why having a protective vehicle is crucial. Functioning airbags in particular are a critical component of modern car safety systems.
In fact, airbags reduce front-end collision driver deaths by 29% which goes to show just how important they are. As airbag technology has evolved, more and more lives have been protected as a result. Despite this, many drivers fail to conduct maintenance checks to ensure these and other safety features are working. Learn everything you need to know about the importance of airbags and how they save lives so that you remember to ensure yours are in working order.
Airbags and Their Impact on Injury Prevention
Airbags are an ingenious invention designed to protect the head, neck, and chest areas, primarily, from major injuries in the event of a collision. By deploying when a certain combination of force and speed has impact your vehicle, airbags reduce the overall force on your body by providing a cushion between you and the hard interior of your vehicle.
Many people are under a misconception that airbags are actually a hard surface given the force at which they inflate. This is simply be design. Airbags are required to fully inflate within milliseconds of a crash, which means they are a hard surface for a short period of time before immediately deflating when you impact them. This transfer of force helps to reduce the internal and external damage to your body.
The Different Types of Airbags and Their Protection
In a vehicle, generally, there are four main types of airbags in use at a given time: front airbags, side airbags, knee airbags, and curtain airbags. All these airbags work off sensors which detect where a collision has occurred and the force behind it. Modern airbags also detect whether or not you’re seatbelt is active as this will determine if it needs to go off in a collision with less force.
Front and knee airbags go off for most head-on collisions whereas side and curtain airbags go off for side collisions. A relatively recent invention, though, is smart airbags which adjust their deployment based on the size of passengers, seat position, and more. The point of which airbags deploy is to protect the part of the body that would most likely impact the interior of the vehicle.
The Limitations of Airbags
Airbags are an effective method of protecting the body from injury in a crash, but they aren’t foolproof. First and foremost, if your vehicle is hit from an angle that causes your body to collide with an interior part of the vehicle airbags don’t cover, there’s not much that can be done.
Additionally, airbag deployment relies on sensors which measure the impact of a crash. If these sensors are inaccurate and seem the crash too light to warrant airbags, they may not deploy which can lead to severe injury. On top of this, airbags themselves can injure occupants if they deploy erroneously, which is why wearing a seatbelt at all times is so important.
The Role of Airbags in Car Safety Systems
As alluded to above, airbags are just one part of the broader safety system in your vehicle. In conjunction with seatbelts, collision sensors, and built in crumple zones on your car, airbags help to create a comprehensive modern safety system. All of these systems combined work together for the sole purpose of minimizing injury and improving your chances of survival in a crash.
Manufacturers are continuously improving airbag systems to make them more effective for a variety of crash scenarios. This includes the aforementioned technology which detects whether seatbelts are on, as this will impact whether the airbags need to deploy in a lower-scale crash.
The Future of Airbags: Advancements in Safety
Given just how effective airbag technology has become in recent years, new innovations are being developed rapidly. These include exciting new technologies such as external airbags, pedestrian airbags, and airbags for other vehicle types like motorcycles and bicycles.
The future of airbags in your own vehicle is looking bright too, with inflatable seatbelt airbags being the latest invention. Another exciting development with the inclusion of more cameras in vehicles is forward sensor detectors. These could perhaps go so far as to determine that a crash is imminent and then deploy airbags before the crash actually happens. Even this small difference in time can make a major difference in preventing injury.
Another common concern surrounding airbags is the force at which they deploy. In smaller-scale crashes, this can actually lead to more injuries than would be sustained otherwise. Some companies are working on modern sensors which would detect your size and weight to then determine how much force actually needs to be deployed on inflation for the airbag to be effective, thus reducing any potential injury you may suffer.
The essential nature of airbags to car safety
The importance of airbags truly cannot be overstated. This technology prevents serious injury and death which is also why you need to remember to not move your children to the front seat until they are heavy and big enough. Airbags are an essential safety feature but don’t forget they are most effective when used in conjunction with other safety features like seatbelts which can maximize the protection you experience.
All drivers should ensure that their airbags are in working order through regular maintenance checks. If you don’t know the last time you check your airbags functionality, head to a repair shop right away to get a diagnostic performed to keep yourself and others safe on the road. On top of this, adhere to the recommended maintenance schedule outlined in the owners manual of your vehicle to ensure that everything is in working order under the hood.
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