There seems to be a common misconception that airbags can take the place of seatbelts in a car. On the face of it, this seems reasonable but nothing could be further from the truth. Automobile engineers have designed the two systems to work together for maximum effectiveness, and companies like Safety Restore work to repair both after any accident or fault.
Seatbelts came first
The first automobile manufacturer to actually install seat belts as a standard feature was Volvo in 1959. At first they were controversial. According to Volvo were obsessively concerned that they would be “trapped” in their cars if an accident occurred. Despite early misconceptions, however, seatbelts slowly gained acceptance and became an important safety accessory by the late 1960s.
Then airbags
Like seat belts, airbags were at first controversial. The first airbags were used in WWII in aircraft. They were crude and bulky devices. To inflate them, for example, required releasing pressurized gas from a external tank mounted somewhere in the aircraft. Triggering electronics were slow too and sometimes failed to work at all. Before they could be used in cars, a lot of refinements were necessary. However, refine them they did in 1971, General Motors marketed their first airbags. The automotive press was delighted with this new safety feature.
How they work
When a front collision occurs in a car, occupants are thrown forward. The goal of an airbag is simply to slow the passenger’s forward motion down. The whole process starts with signals from motion sensors mounted on the car chassis. When one of these sensors detects a collision-level force, it sends a signal to the airbag circuit which inflates the bags. All of this happens in a few milliseconds so the bags are inflated by the time that passengers are flung forward.
They work together
Since the early days of auto airbags, experts have cautioned that they should be used with the cars seat belts. The reason for this is that the airbags in the front dash only work in front-end collisions. The issue is that car accidents don’t always occur in the front of a vehicle. Cars get hit on all sides and that’s why seat belts are important. A seatbelt helps keep occupants in their seats regardless of where the collision occurs. Keep your belts on!
When transporting children
Airbags have become powerful devices and can hurt children if they inflate. It is very important for those that are transporting children that they know that kids aged 12 and under should ride buckled up in a properly installed, age-appropriate, car seat mounted in the rear seat of a car. Remember says Car City West of Clive, IA, a pre-owned car dealer, in the case of children less than 2 years old, the car seat should be mounted so the child faces backward.
Turning them off
Considering how powerful airbags are, some owners elect to disable them. They simply don’t want anything “blowing up” in their vehicle regardless of the intent. This may not be advisable but it is legal to do. If you are interested in this option, contact your local office of the National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) and ask for airbag deactivation paperwork. They will suggest service stations and dealerships that can perform this work.
Photo credit : Autoevolution
