How Serious Does a Collision Have to Be for Airbags to Deploy?

Posted in Car Accidents on May 21, 2022

All street-legal passenger vehicles feature several safety features. These include mirrors, seat belts, brake assist, cruise control, and more. Some of the most critical safety features in motor vehicles are airbags. When a crash occurs, airbags protect the driver and passengers from colliding with the vehicle’s interior. Accident victims may experience forceful impacts on the windows, doors, or dashboard without airbags.

Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) suggests that airbags saved more than 50,000 lives over a 30-year period. Below, we will discuss how airbags work and when they are likely to deploy. If you or someone you love has been involved in a serious car accident, promptly speaking with a personal injury attorney is critical.

How Do Airbags Work?

Airbags are designed to work in conjunction with seat belts to keep drivers and passengers safe. In other words, airbags supplement other safety features in vehicles. Most modern vehicles feature both front and side airbags. In severe collisions, these airbags inflate to cushion the driver and passengers. By law, frontal airbags are required in all modern cars and trucks. Vehicles are equipped with an electronic control system that controls when and whether the airbags deploy.

In a moderate or severe collision, an internal chemical reaction causes the airbags to inflate in a fraction of a second. Side airbags deploy even quicker than front units. This is because the seats are closer to the doors than to the dash. The side airbags are intended to protect the chest and head of the passengers. While airbags are intended to deploy in moderate or severe car accidents, they may also inflate in some minor collisions. The point of impact will determine this.

Understanding Airbag Safety

Airbags inflate so quickly that passengers cannot react as it is happening. Although there’s no way to respond to airbag deployment in the moment, there are some points to keep in mind regarding airbag safety.

1. Use Seat Belts

Airbags and seat belts are designed to work in concert with one another. You should not rely on airbags as a replacement for the protection that seat belts provide. When passengers collide with airbags without seat belts, they can sustain injuries. Airbags deploy so quickly that they can cause harm to the people in the vehicle.

2. Maintain Appropriate Distance

It is also important to maintain a proper distance from the location where the airbags deploy. For instance, make sure to stay approximately one foot away from the steering wheel when you are driving. This will ensure that the airbag provides as much protection as possible.

3. Children Should Sit in the Back

Also, kids younger than 13 should sit in the back seat. If a crash happens, children will be kept safe by side airbags. Kids should also be placed in age-appropriate child restraint systems. This may include:

Car seats facing backward
Car seats facing forward
Booster seats
Seat belts

Airbags will provide the most protection when other child-appropriate safety measures are in place.

4. Airbags Cannot Deploy Multiple Times

Airbags are only able to inflate one time. Following a car accident in which your airbags inflate, make sure to replace them. It is unsafe to continue driving a vehicle without airbags in place.

Where the Airbags Deployed

Following the tips listed above will help keep you as safe as possible in a motor vehicle collision. Even with airbags and other safety measures, car accident injuries happen. If you have been hurt in a crash, speaking with a skilled car accident lawyer will allow you to pursue the financial damages that you deserve.

Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in New York, NY

If you need legal assistance, contact the New York City car accident lawyers at Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel Personal Injury Lawyers at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation.

We have two convenient locations in New York:

Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel Personal Injury Lawyers – New York City Office
450 7th Ave #409
New York, NY 10123
(212) 564-2800

Law Offices of Jay S. Knispel Personal Injury Lawyers – Brooklyn Office
26 Court St Suite 2511
Brooklyn, NY 11242
(718) 802-1600