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Home » Auto And Trucks Articles » Between Life Or Death How An Airbag And A Seatbelt Save Lives

Between Life or Death: How An Airbag and A Seatbelt Save Lives

Airbags were invented and patented in the 1950s to cushion the impact and prevent or lessen injuries sustained in auto accidents. Studies show that thousands of lives have been saved by air bags, with fatalities reduced by up to 46 percent in airbag-equipped vehicles, but it is difficult to determine an exact number.

Airbags help prevent an occupant's head from striking some part of the inside of the vehicle, and help distribute crash forces more evenly across the victim's body. However, their rapid deployment can cause injuries or death.

After an impact, it takes only 1/20 of a second for an airbag to inflate and each bag is filled with gas. The first crash-sensing detector was introduced in the late 1960s, leading to airbag systems where the sensor or accelerometer triggers ignition of a gas generator to rapidly inflate the bag. The bag then absorbs some of the deceleration forces experienced when the occupant collides with and collapses it while the gas escapes through small vent holes during the next 3/10 of a second.

In the 1970s, Ford, GM and Chrysler offered airbags in select cars as a seatbelt replacement, and they became more common in the 1980s. In 1984, the U.S. government required all cars produced after April 1, 1989 to have driver's side air bags, and in 1998, dual front airbags were mandated (1999 for light trucks). De-powered, second-generation airbags were required, because first-generation airbags designed for occupants not wearing seatbelts were causing injuries. Advances continue to improve airbag performance.

Today, many cars have additional airbags designed to protect occupants' heads, protect from side impact, and protect passengers in the back seat. Various manufacturers have called their products Supplementary/Secondary Restraint Systems (SRS), Air Cushion Restraint Systems (ACRS) or Supplemental Inflatable Restraints (SIR).

Why wear a safety belt? It's important to wear a safety belt, even when in a vehicle equipped with air bags. Those not wearing seatbelts may slide or be thrown forward against the airbag module, and be seriously injured or killed if the airbag deploys. Most air bags only inflate once, and do not provide protection past an initial impact. Standard front-impact air bags do not deploy for side or rear impact crashes, or rollovers. Seat belts reduce risk in many types of crashes, keep occupants in the position where they receive the most benefit from the air bag, and protect against multiple collisions, or collisions where the air bags are not triggered. What other airbag safety factors exist? Injuries and deaths associated with airbag deployment follow several trends. First is the presence of first-generation airbags. Later-generation, multi-stage bags deploy more slowly, and with less force, and better respond to crash forces and occupant size. Improved technology and education helped reduce airbag-related fatalities from 1996 to 2000 by more than 90 percent for children and by 60 percent for adults.

Still, people suffer abrasions, hearing damage from the explosive deployment, head injuries, eye damage (while wearing glasses), and broken noses, fingers, hands or arms. Additionally, items protruding from the mouth can cause harm including food items and smoking tobacco products. ' can cause additional injury, as can anything loose in the car in contact with the airbag module.

Airbags can present a serious danger to infants, small children and small adults. To protect drivers and passengers from any harmful outcomes when an airbag is deployed, seats should be as far away from the airbag as possible, but within a comfortable and safe distance for the drive in order to drive the automobile. They should also sit back in their seat, keeping at least 10 inches between the breastbone and the airbag module. Those with asthma should be aware that powders (cornstarch or talcum powder) used to lubricate the airbag as it deploys may trigger an asthma attack. Seek treatment after an accident involving airbag deployment.

Infants and children under 12 should never ride in the front passenger seat, even in a child safety seat or booster chair. It is dangerous to allow a child to sit in the front seat of a car because of the harmful affects an airbag can have on them, but it is unavoidable in many two-seater trucks with no back seats, which is why many truck companies have created a switch device that can turn an airbag off for a passenger -- in the instance of a child in the front seat.

For vehicles without such switches, they can be installed to accommodate people with medical conditions or who can't sit far enough back to stay 10 inches away from the airbag, or for those who need to transport infants or children and have no back seat or a back seat too small to fit a child seat.

Even after an accident when the airbags have not deployed, victims and rescue personnel must be cautious. Airbags can deploy some time after the initial impact, causing injury and death.

Airbags that have never been deployed from an accident should actually be replaced as a car begins to age in order to offer drivers and passengers the safest driving experience. Timing varies, but a 14-year life for an un-deployed airbag is typical. When there is a problem with an airbag, an indicator light usually located on the dashboard will become lit, but most airbags are self-tested prior to the vehicle being started.

If you have suffered injury from improper airbag deployment or a car crash, you may wish to consult with an experienced auto accident or personal injury attorney about your case. Your personal injury attorney may be able to help you receive compensation for your injuries, lost wages, and/or future medical care.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

A Credit Card Can Sing A Christmas Carol

"Christmas Time, Mistletoe and Wine" How many times have you heard this so far and its only November? A few I'll bet, but with Christmas seemingly becoming earlier to us each year, we will no doubt feel the need to get ahead with our present and food buying. This though only leads to us spending more than we should. This is because with the shops full of decorations and Christmas tunes, the stores are dictating to us that we have to buy our gifts now, which will mean by the time December has come and gone. We would have spent more over the 2-month period that the shops have been full of Christmas cheer.

This is not all bah! Humbug.

Personally for the occasion alone and seeing the kids faces when they open their presents on Christmas morning, as Christmas is a special time of year that for the day makes all the preparation and spending all worth while.

But that doesn't mean that it comes without cost and in some cases more of a cost than folk can ill afford. For all of its pomp and occasion, Christmas can come at a heavy price to bear for a lot of people who, rather than let their children and family down, will turn to the promise of riches that credit cards and store cards offer.

Don't get me wrong, credit cards and even store cards, have their uses. This is only true though, if you only use them to your advantage, to get the best out of them. If you are thinking of taking one or the other, then the only suggestion that I can make is to plump for the credit card, over the store card.

We all want to enjoy this time of year, so by getting all that you want to do this and in doing so, save cash and not to fall heavily into debt, will make the festivities all the more enjoyable. So by giving you a few advantages and disadvantages, which credit cards and store cards entail, will hopefully go a long way on helping you make the right decisions.

Firstly the advantages of credit cards:

• More favourable interest rates than a store card.

• Many offers on the market, which are giving you an interest free period.

• Some come with money back schemes that give you a percentage of your expenditure back to you. (Usually between 0.5%- 2%)

• Will protect your gifts, as soon as you have bought them.

• Lets you buy now and pay at a later date, only on what you have spent without incurring any interest charges.

Now the disadvantages:

• Can lead you to spend more than you can afford to pay back, which in turn will lead to the interest being charged to your account.

• They can come with a heavy hit in the pocket, with charges for late payments and going over your credit limit.

Advantages of the store card:

• Can use them as soon as you are accepted for the card.

• Initial discount (normally 10% off you first purchase) will give you a saving straight away.

Disadvantages:

• Overly high interest rates, which are well above those of a credit card. Some can be as much as 30%.

• Can lead you quickly to debt, if they are not cleared at the end of each month.

• Sold to the customer, by assistants who know absolutely nothing about what they are selling.