The automotive safety technology has come a far way in the past few decades. However, a question that lurks in the mind of every driver is that how safe is this technology? Can airbags end up killing the driver instead of protecting him?
Benefits of using an Airbag
Airbags are a useful contraption to protect and cushion the driver during an impact who would otherwise ram straight into the steering wheel of the car or the dashboard. Since 1998, airbags have been a permanent fixture in the cars in the US. The airbags saved more than 25,000 lives from 1987 to 2008.
Some car manufacturers have even incorporated the airbags in the seat belts. Airbags have been the most significant breakthrough in the automotive safety technology.
But could the Airbags Hurt or Kill someone?
Anyone who has experienced an airbag being deployed after an impact will attest to the violent nature of the action. But then it has to be. The airbags need to be completely inflated and fully deployed before the driver/passenger hits any hard surface like a dashboard or the steering wheel. It has only 20 to 30 milliseconds to do the task it has been designed for.
In fact, the technique used for deploying the airbags is much the same as the one used to propel the rocket boosters.
Getting burned or injured by airbags is entirely possible if you are too close to it because they deploy with a violent force. Even being hit by an airbag without a seatbelt or anything between you and the airbag like the cellphone, can cause some pretty serious injuries!
Children and adolescents are most likely to be hurt by the airbags as their bodies cannot withstand the force exerted by one. Most of the children are put in safety seats during a ride. These seats are not designed for use with air bags. If a rear-facing safety seat is put in the front seat of the car, the airbag deployment can be fatal if it hits the back of the seat.
If you really have to put a child in the front seat, you can take off the airbags by following the instructions in the owner’s manual or by taking your car to a mechanic. For the side airbags in the rear seat of the car, you can always strap in the child safety seat in the middle to prevent being hit by an airbag.