Protecting Yourself From Airbags

For most people, "protecting yourself from airbags" seems counter intuitive. After all, airbags are designed to protect people. It is true that they lower motor vehicle accident fatalities by 10% over seatbelts alone. However, airbags have actually been linked to the deaths and injuries of many people. There are several steps that you can take to protect yourself from airbag deployment.

First, it is important to know how airbags work. Sensors in the front of the vehicle detect impacts and send a rapid signal for the airbag to deploy. These safety devices should release in about forty-thousandths of a second after the initial impact, which can make it seem like the airbag releases while the impact is still occurring.

While these fast-acting devices must be sensitive in order to deploy at the right time, defective sensors can lead to one of two problems. An overly sensitive sensor can cause the airbag to deploy for no reason. This forceful explosion in your face can lead to wrecks as it blocks your vision and startles you. On the other hand, a sensor that is not delicately tuned enough may not send the signal to deploy, leaving you to crash into your hard steering wheel or dashboard.

Another complaint with airbags is the high-decibel noise that they create when exploding. The force of four airbags deploying has been measured at 170 decibels, which is loud enough to permanently deafen drivers and passengers.

Lastly, studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National Transportation Safety Board found that 19 adults and 26 children died in car accidents due to airbags' deployment. The force of the exploding airbag can fatally knock a person's head and neck backward.

Thus, although you cannot get your airbag tested regularly, you should prohibit children and petite adults from riding in the front seat of your vehicle. If you are a smaller person, you should try to sit as far away from the airbag as possible while still being able to reach the pedals.

AIRBAG INJURIES

Replacing an Airbag / Resetting an Airbag Module

Airbags are a crucial part of the modern car and it is important that your airbag system is working perfectly at all times. Activation of an air bag helps prevent serious bodily injuries. An air bag inflates automatically during a collision, cushioning the body from slamming into parts of the car. An electrical charge activates the small amount of explosives used for setting off an airbag.

So you've decided to attempt to try and replace your airbag yourself. This can be tricky and if you don't know what you are doing and do it wrong, it could be very counterproductive.

If you are sure you want to do this yourself then read on for a brief guide on how to replace your airbag.

Step 1

Disconnect the battery before you begin.

Step 2

Take out the airbag fuse in the dashboard connector so that the airbag doesn't go off when you touch it. Then remove the panelling that covers the airbag and gently take out the airbag itself from where it's stored. You'll have to disconnect the electrical couplings from the rear of the airbag itself before you'll be able to remove it.

Step 3

You must make sure to ground yourself and the vehicle before you continue. Even static electricity will deploy your new airbag while you are replacing it.

Reconnect the electrical couplings to the new bag before you install it in the airbag compartment. Close the compartment, reset the system fuse and connect the battery once more.

One of the most important parts of your airbag system is its computer. A good airbag computer is important. It must be able to assess the situation when your vehicle gets into an accident and record the crash data. It's the airbag computer module which must decide whether or not to deploy the airbag. Timing is crucial to your safety, so the airbag computer must be in perfect working order at all times.

As well as replacing the airbag or airbags, you will also need to get the module reset.

Find someone who is not only an expert but who also specialises in your particular make and model of car. They will be able to reset your airbag module and remove the crash data from it. Then your airbag light will go out and your airbag system will be like new.

Make sure you find a dealer who is price competitive. For the unknowing, a lot of surcharges can be added that really aren't necessary.

AIRBAG INJURIES

Safety Tips For Airbag Effectiveness

Car accidents happen every day. They can be unexpected and very tragic. That is why all modern vehicles are equipped with certain safety devices for the protection of those within the automobile. However, one such device, the airbag, seems to consistently be in the news for causing injuries and fatalities all on their own. Luckily there are measures you can take to ensure that you are utilizing the airbag to the best of your ability should they deploy.

Steps for Airbag Safety

There are many steps you can take before an accident ever even happens to prepare to properly interact with your safety device. Airbag deployment is extremely powerful and can cause severe head and neck injuries, and even suffocation, when the impact an individual in an inopportune position. That is why it is important to:

· Buckle up. All the safety devices in your car are meant to work together so when you use your seat belt you are creating a situation where if your airbag were to deploy, both would work together to keep you in place.

· Distance yourself from the airbag. As the driver, position your seat as far back as possible while still reaching the floor pedals. If you are able to, recline your seat as well. It is highly dangerous to be within the first 4 inches of the airbag deployment spot (your steering wheel). Ideally, you should be 10 inches away from your steering wheel. For front seat passengers, move your chair as far back as possible.

· Angle your wheel. By tilting your steering wheel downward, you ensure that when the airbag deploys it will do so towards your chest and not your head. If the airbag hits you too far up you can suffocate or suffer a serious head/neck injury.

· Keep children in the back seat. Airbags and children do not mix so all those under the age of 12 so should only sit in the back seat of the vehicle. If you only have a 2 seat vehicle, get your passenger airbags deactivated.

The above safety measures will prevent your airbags from hurting you and instead will help them protect you and possibly save your life.

AIRBAG INJURIES

The Dangers of Defective Airbags

Many individuals rely on airbags for safety in the event of an auto accident. Unfortunately, airbags may fail drivers and passengers in some cases. Defective airbags are a serious danger that may lead to severe injury or even death.

Airbag defects refer to a number of deficiencies. This may include excessive force or inadequate force, deploying late or deploying early, and even deploying for no reason at all. Additionally, the airbag itself may have flaws, such as holes in the bag.

These defects prevent an airbag from correctly functioning as a cushion to brace drivers and passengers. Airbags save drivers and passengers from crashing into blunt objects in the automobile's cabin and may even prevent individuals from being ejected from the automobile in some cases.

Defects to automobile airbags are usually the fault of the automobile's manufacturer. Many of the defects are design flaws. Others may be manufacturing defects that are specific to one vehicle, which is referred to as a lemon.

Automobile manufacturers are not always to blame, though. A repair shop may be the cause of the problem, especially if the car had been in a previous accident that caused the airbag to deploy. The repair shop is in charge of fixing the automobile, which includes replacing the airbags.

Determining who is to blame may be a difficult process. Usually, the best way to figure this out is to consult with an experienced attorney who specializes in automobile defects, as he or she may be able to help you find the root of the problem. This can help you hold the right person or group accountable for your injuries.

AIRBAG INJURIES

The History of Automobile Airbags

Even though airbags were both designed and patented for safe usage in the early 1950s, they would not come into any sort of widespread use until almost thirty years later. John W. Hetrick, a former Navy engineer, created the first airbag prototype in 1952. He combined his knowledge of the mechanics of compressed air, which he had gained from working extensively with torpedoes in the Navy, together with a strong desire to keep his family and other motorists safe while driving. The year after their invention, airbags were patented as a safe way to help prevent injuries in automobile accidents. When John tried to market his new device to the auto industry, however, he found most automobile manufacturers were more interested in profits than safety.

Airbags were first incorporated as a safety device for a passenger vehicle in the early 1970s. Studies showed that many passengers weren't interested in using their seatbelts when driving, so safety watchdogs decided to look for a device that wouldn't involve customer compliance. Ford and General Motors constructed fleets of experimental cars with airbags in order to fine tune the technology. It was soon found that, although airbags were not a viable alternative to seatbelts, they were an excellent supplemental safety system. Besides laws mandating the use of seatbelts, legislation encouraging car manufacturers to include airbags in their vehicles began to appear around the early 1980s. The 1980s saw a huge rise in the amount of airbags available in the car market.

Mercedes Benz and Honda made them available as options and Porsche offered them as standard equipment in its 944 model. In 1990, Chrysler, an industry leader at the time, integrated airbags into its entire array of vehicles, and this inspired many others to do the same. Audi had finally caught up by 1994 when it introduced airbags into many of its best selling models. Airbag development continued in the 1990s with many new variations being invented and tested. The side airbag developed and then evolved into two different types, the side curtain and the side torso. These side airbags, which inflated between the body and the door of the vehicle, were found to be highly successful in preventing head and torso injury. They also helped to diminish the chance of being ejected from the car should it roll over.

Today, the standard types of airbags are joined by rear curtain airbags, knee airbags, center airbags, and even seatbelt airbags, each with its own specialized safety function. Some motorcycles even come equipped with airbags to help diminish injury in a direct frontal collision. There are also airbag suits for motorcycle drivers, which help protect the driver's back if he is thrown from his bike.

AIRBAG INJURIES

Unpacking the Airbag Debate

If you have bought a new car in the past few years, chances are that airbags came standard. In fact, even side-impact bags are becoming more and more common as a standard-issue. However, while you may know the benefits of airbags, there are also several negative effects as well. Unpacking the airbag debate is important so that you know the pros and cons of having airbags.

There's no question that airbags can be extremely helpful in head-on accidents. When your car is forced to suddenly decelerate, like if you hit a stationary object with your front bumper, your head and body can be pitched forward due to your forward momentum. This can be dangerous as you can hit your head on the hard steering wheel, dashboard, or even the glass of the windshield. These accidents can result in lacerations, bruising, broken facial bones, lost teeth, and even eye damage.

Airbags, though, are meant to deploy at the point of impact, instantly blowing up and stopping your forward momentum. Although airbags themselves can cause slight injuries due to the power with which they explode open, they are considered to be less dangerous than hitting the other parts of the car. In fact, in the past eleven years, an estimated 25,782 lives were saved because of airbags.

However, the deployment of these devices can also be hazardous. Airbags explode with enough force that they can actually kill people, especially petite adults and children. In 1997, government safety statistics report that 53 people died due to airbags. 31 of those were children. Therefore, it is important for kids under the age of 13 or especially small people to ride in the backseat.

Thankfully, more and more cars are now becoming equipped with safety sensors that can automatically turn off a front-seat airbag if the passenger does not weigh a certain amount. Additionally, some cars allow the driver to control this feature by flicking an "airbag on/off" switch. Lastly, some airbags may deploy less strongly than usual if the car's computer detects a lower-weight passenger.

Also, many cars now have side-impact airbags, or SABs. While these can be helpful in a rollover accident, these SABs also pose a risk to children's health. If a child is seated too near to an airbag, the force of it exploding at their head and chest levels can cause serious injury and even death. Luckily, most vehicles in the U.S. do not include SABs that deploy at these levels, according to an auto industry and insurance group called the Technical Working Group.

Overall, it's easy to see that there are definite pros and cons to airbags. However, it's safe to say that when airbags malfunction and either deploy unexpectedly or not when they should, it can cause problems, auto accidents, personal injuries, and even death.

AIRBAG INJURIES

Vehicle Impacts in Car Crashes and Injuries

Vehicles manufactured today contain more safety features and injury prevention measures than any ever produced. Front airbags, side airbags, and crumpling frames work to reduce the amount of impact a collision has on a driver or passenger's body. Although these safety features help to reduce the amount of injuries and fatalities experienced in car accidents every year, they cannot prevent all casualties. While many accidents result in little to no injury whatsoever, there are some types of collisions that frequently result in injuries that not even the best protection can prevent.

During a motor vehicle collision, the steady movement of the vehicle is abruptly stopped, but the body of a driver continues to move forward. Depending on where the car is impacted, a human body will be affected in various ways, each with harmful consequences. If a body were left to continue without prevention of any safety measure during a frontal impact crash, it would slam into the wheel and dashboard of the car and quite possibly continue through the front windshield. As such, seatbelts stop the body from moving forward and front airbags cushion a person's head and torso, instead of allowing them to impact the hard interior. Head injuries are the leading cause of death in a motor vehicle accident, according to data collected by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Biomechanics Research.

In the event of a side impact collision, the human body is subjected to sudden force from the left or right side. When a vehicle smashes into the side where a person is located, he or she can be subjected to the full force of the speeding vehicle, with the brunt of the crash possibly impacting a person's body directly. If the person is on the opposite side of the impact, they can be quickly jerked from side to side, slamming into the interior side of the vehicle and suffering various injuries to the head, neck, sides, hips, and knees.

Finally, a rear impact crash, while typically the least harmful of collisions, can still result in serious injuries. When a vehicle is impacted from behind, passengers can be quickly whipped forward and backward, resulting in whiplash and head injuries if passengers come in contact with anything in front of them, such as a steering wheel, dashboard, or seat. According to the NHTSA, neck injuries are the most common consequence of such crashes.

While safety features today are meant to protect against all forms of crashes, they still cannot fully prevent injuries from the most dangerous accidents, such as head-on collisions and big rig accidents. While these accidents happen much less frequently, they have a much higher fatality and injury rate than others.

AIRBAG INJURIES