I shared this with my colleagues at work and the response I recieved was overwhelming. Hence, I decided to share with Nairaland.


On Monday, August 20, 2012, I witnessed an auto crash along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. A driver of a saloon car ran into the SUV in front of her when the SUV braked suddenly in reaction to a change in traffic. There was a loud noise as metal struck metal, and we all feared the worst. Then from the windscreen, we saw the white oval shape of a deployed airbag. Thank God the airbag worked. The driver must be safe. So we thought, until we rushed to the vehicle to rescue the lady. I was among the first to arrive and I noticed immediately she was not wearing her seat belt. She had a nasty gash on her jaw, swollen lips, a cracked eye-glass and her neck was sore. The airbag was torn and her eye region was covered in airbag powder. I also noticed that the front passenger airbag had deployed although the front passenger seat was unoccupied except for her handbag and some heavy looking textbooks.



So what went wrong? Why the bleeding jaw, swollen lips and a sore neck? Why was she in shock? Why did she look like someone in the same boxing ring with Mike Tyson? Why was the airbag torn? Why did the front passenger airbag deploy although there was no passenger? These questions and more led me to carry out a research on airbags and their proper application. Please read on.


WHAT DID SHE DO WRONG?


Airbags, otherwise called Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) are used as supplements to seat belts to help reduce shocks applied to the head and chest of the driver or front passenger in the event of a frontal impact collision. There are usually two airbags for frontal collisions: driver and front passenger. As the name implies, airbags are not the primary form of restraint in the event of a collision. Rather, airbags are designed to supplement the efforts of a primary restraint, in this case, the seat belt. Without the seat belt, the airbag, technically, becomes a high speed gigantic boxing glove!! The seatbelt is designed to keep you restrained on your seat, as far back away as possible from the airbag, in the event of a collision. Our lady friend was not wearing her belt, so on impact, she slid forward and met the deploying airbag at full force!



Secondly, her steering wheel was not properly positioned. Rather than have it pointing towards her chest, her steering wheel was directed towards her face. The airbag, on deployment, struck her on the face and neck, cutting her jaw and smashing her sunglasses. In the process the airbag got ruptured, most likely by the sunglasses, and released dangerous airbag powder and fumes.



Thirdly, she had heavy items placed on the passenger seat. Modern cars have sensors on the front passenger seat that detect the presence of an adult, a child, or otherwise an empty seat. If the seat is empty or occupied by a child, the airbag will NOT deploy in the event of a collision. Placing heavy items on the passenger seat, like our friend, tells the sensor that an adult is seated, hence the airbag will deploy in the event of a collision leading to unnecessary extra cost in replacement and repairs.



WHAT TO DO



Do wear your seat belt properly all the time.
After wearing your belt, do check occasionally for proper tensioning by pulling hard on the belt. The belt should lock in position. If it doesn’t, do have it checked by a technician.
Do move your driver’s seat to the rear as far as possible while still reaching the pedals comfortably.
Do slightly recline the back of your driver’s seat. Although car designs vary, most drivers can achieve the 25cm safe distance even with the driver seat all the way forward by slightly reclining the back of the seat. If reclining the seat makes it hard to see the road, you can raise yourself up by using your car's seat-raising system (not all cars have this!) or a firm, non-slippery cushion to achieve the same effect.
Do point the airbag toward your chest, instead of your head and neck, by tilting your steering wheel column downward (this only works if your steering wheel is adjustable).
Do make sure the PASSENGER AIRBAG ON indicator light is illuminated when an adult sits in the front passenger seat. If the AIRBAG OFF indicator light is illuminated, ask the passenger to sit properly with back upright and against the seat, with legs comfortably extended and wear the seat belt correctly. Nonetheless, if the AIRBAG OFF indicator light remains illuminated, this means the adult is not heavy enough to activate the airbag, let the passenger sit in the rear seat. When it is unavoidable for a light-weight adult to sit in the front passenger seat, ask the passenger to move the seat as far back as possible.


WHAT NOT TO DO

Do not cross hands on the steering wheel, a rule taught to most learner drivers but quickly forgotten by most. An airbag deployment while negotiating a turn may result in the driver's hand(s) being driven forcefully into his or her face, exacerbating any injuries from the airbag alone.
Do not, under the guise of relaxing and cruising, recline the front passenger seat seatback so far that it touches a rear seat. This may cause the PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator light to be illuminated, which indicates that the passenger’s airbags will not deploy in the event of a collision.
Do not put a heavy load on the front passenger seat or in the seat back pocket.
Do not put objects under the front passenger seat.


Although this covers the basic frontal airbags, modern cars are equipped with side, roof curtain and most recently rear seat airbags. No matter how advanced the SRS may become, no matter the quantity installed (some cars come with up to 10 airbags), the airbag remains a supplemental restraint.


ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!!

Bravo.

Great info. I vote for front page!

Highly informative!

Nice one, always wondered about the point of airbags since my accident. The car wasn't equipped with an airbag but I do not joke with my seat belt either as a driver or passenger, I just don't feel comfortable. When the impact occurred the seat belt did it's job and I walked out of the wreck without a scratch. Airbags really are supplementary and can even be dangerous as seen by the recent recall honda did on some of their cars due to particles in the airbags becoming like shrapnel in a crash. Above all, drive safely and avoid the need for seat belts and airbags all together.

thanks guys. i honestly thought this will make front page. but then......this is Nairaland.

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Nice one.
in some older cars the air bag sensor is in sthe seat belt lock. So if you are not wearing the seat belt in the event of collision in such cars , the airbag might not deploy.
drive safely. always wear ur seat belt no matter d situation. Always drive as far away as possible from the steering wheel. This is so common with ladies they drive too close to the steering wheel. It could be dangerous..

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