Do airbags activate if you aren't wearing your seatbelt?

[marv25]

Do airbags activate if you aren't wearing your seatbelt?

Dito sa cebu, walang seatbelt-seatbelt... but curious lang... will the airbags still deploy if ever?

maganda sana na kung sa city lang na maliit, na mahina lang ang speeds, the airbag wont deploy if ever... kasi baka naman you hit something nga but wala naman gasgas, or maliit lang but nag-deploy yung airbag... additional expense yun... aside from the hearing damage...

so if i'm on a highway, then ill wear the seatbelt then the airbag will be active...

[StraightSix]

Do airbags activate if you aren't wearing your seatbelt?

Yes, but it's only supplemental to the seatbelt - the SRS standing for Supplemental Restarint System. Your main restraint system is still the seatbelt.

Right now the UK government is airing TV ads which show people that with airbags alone (without the seatbelt), a collision at normal city speeds of 30 mph (abt 48 kph) has a high probability of resulting in internal organ damages. At the point of impact and airbag deployment, your body is still travelling at 30 mph until it hits the airbag.

The main point being ... buckle up ... even if you have airbags.

[dadz]

Bro StraightSix is correct on that, plus the activation of airbag is depending on how you hit, in most cars there are 2 sensor that detect the impact, for example you hit a poll or a tree in the middle of you front, most sensor are not position in the center so your air bag may not or it will not deploy. Check your owners manual for more explanation on restrain and safety. Seatbelt is still the best restrain you have to keep your life in case of an accident.

[boybi]

Airbags won't deploy in slow speed impacts. So yung sinasabi mong travel mo sa maliit na city na mabagal lang, the airbag should not deploy when the car hits something.

[OTEP]

Yes, they will deploy. Airbags were originally tested with unbelted crash test dummies. That's why the first generation airbags were very powerful to the point of decapitating children and severely injuring passengers in some circumstances.

As previously stated, seatbelts are still the best. I've seen my share of patients with massive injuries because they were smart enough to buy an expensive car but dumb enough not to wear their seatbelts.

It's also amazing how a lot of people regard the airbag as some sort of miracle life saving device. Sheesh...

[v6dreamer]

Do airbags activate if you aren't wearing your seatbelt?

Dito sa cebu, walang seatbelt-seatbelt... but curious lang... will the airbags still deploy if ever?

maganda sana na kung sa city lang na maliit, na mahina lang ang speeds, the airbag wont deploy if ever... kasi baka naman you hit something nga but wala naman gasgas, or maliit lang but nag-deploy yung airbag... additional expense yun... aside from the hearing damage...

so if i'm on a highway, then ill wear the seatbelt then the airbag will be active...

I assume you mean a front air bag. If you get t-boned, your side air bag will deploy no matter what your speed.

Anyway, speed is not the determining factor.

If your car is standing still and another vehicle hits you head-on, your air bag will still deploy. The sensors read acceleration -- change in speed over time, not road speed

[v6dreamer]

Do airbags activate if you aren't wearing your seatbelt?

Dito sa cebu, walang seatbelt-seatbelt... but curious lang... will the airbags still deploy if ever?

maganda sana na kung sa city lang na maliit, na mahina lang ang speeds, the airbag wont deploy if ever... kasi baka naman you hit something nga but wala naman gasgas, or maliit lang but nag-deploy yung airbag... additional expense yun... aside from the hearing damage...

so if i'm on a highway, then ill wear the seatbelt then the airbag will be active...

I assume you mean a front air bag. If you get t-boned, your side air bag will deploy no matter what your speed.

Anyway, speed is not the determining factor.

If your car is standing still ( idling) and another vehicle hits you head-on, your air bag will still deploy since airbag operate on a electronics circuit that is completed only when the ignition is on. The sensors read acceleration -- change in speed over time, not road speed.

Some Air Bag systems are what is known as "smart" systems, mostly found on newer models. they sense if a passenger is in the passenger front seat. If the smart sense that there is no passenger on front seat, airbag wont deploy on that side. Reason, I guess its all about money...too expensive. Other systems are passive, they do not have passenger front seat sensor. therefor the passive system will go off on any impact to the front of vehicle.

You can check your car into a local dealership if your car equiped with smart.

[redorange]

Air bags will deploy without you wearing your seatbelt. They do deploy on slow speed collisions if the accelerometer detects a sudden impact it will deploy the air bag regardless of speed. I was going about 15mph/24kmh when I rear ended a pick up and it was sudden enough to deploy both my driver and passenger air bags. After that incident I wouldn't recommend you rely on the air bag only, it is a very violent explosion and if you expect to be unharmed you're wrong. I had a bruise in my forearm for more than a month where the plastic of the airbag cover hit along with the air bag. If you looked at the plastic you could see pieces with traces of my skin on it. If I had no seatbelt that would have been my face easily and the damage would have most likely been worst. BTW if you have a front air bag only it won't save you on a side crash but a seatbelt will. That's why race cars have a 5 point seat belt but no air bags and more drivers walk away in worst crashes than in regular car accidents.

[marv25]

I assume you mean a front air bag. If you get t-boned, your side air bag will deploy no matter what your speed.

Anyway, speed is not the determining factor.

If your car is standing still and another vehicle hits you head-on, your air bag will still deploy. The sensors read acceleration -- change in speed over time, not road speed

so... can very-hard-braking also activate airbags?

[v6dreamer]

so... can very-hard-braking also activate airbags?

No - slamming on your brakes won't do it. It takes about 3-4 g's of DECELERATION to activate an airbag (a change in velocity of 16 mph in 200 ms - the rates vary by manufacturer). The greatest deceleration you get in a modern vehicle is about 0.8 to 0.85 g (assuming anti-lock brakes on good pavement) and the deceleration time is much more prolonged.

Rapid deceleration (you have said hard braking), in this case means going from above 16MPH to a dead stop or very close to a dead stop in 200ths of a second. You can't do that with the brake pedal, impossible.

[marv25]

ookay... another question... even if i wear seatbelts, when im about to hit something, its a habit na i press the horn hard... when the airbags go off while pressing the horn, its a bad thing noh?

[marv25]

im actually worried that the airbags will go off when i dont want it to... and i dont want to get deaf or anything coz they said theres a very very loud sound when airbags go off...

[Camgen6]

im actually worried that the airbags will go off when i dont want it to... and i dont want to get deaf or anything coz they said theres a very very loud sound when airbags go off...

Choose one: Deaf or Dead.

[redorange]

im actually worried that the airbags will go off when i dont want it to... and i dont want to get deaf or anything coz they said theres a very very loud sound when airbags go off...

If you are pressing the horn as it explodes you will most likely break a few fingers if not your hand. The bang isn't as loud as you would expect to make you deaf. As I previously posted I am not speaking from what I see in videos but from my exprience of having both air bags activate. The only hearing damage you'll have is if the air bags activate and hit on on the side of your head around your ears, but you won't go deaf. Put on your seat belt it takes but two seconds to do that and once you get used to it you'll feel naked being in a car without it. What is the point of your thread anyways? Are you trying to find out what happens or trying to get a consensus that what you are doing of not wearing your seatbelt is the correct thing to do?

[marv25]

uh no... i was mainly asking if airbags go off even without seatbelts or not... sorry

[marv25]

im just saying that wearing seatbelts arent common here. only 1 in about 50 people would wear one... i know its strict in other places but yeah... if it were required by the law, it would be no problem for me...

[mbeige]

Hard braking is not enough to merit sudden deceleration, the weight of the car is almost always high enough to increase deceleration time. That's why people with race cars remove as much weight as possible so they can brake later.

ABS doesn't decrease braking distance, but it allows the driver to remain in control to steer away from the other object. The best way to use ABS brakes, is to stomp on it. On the other hand, standard non ABS brakes can be used as hard as possible but just prior to the point of skidding. It still won't be a large enough deceleration to merit airbag deployment.

If you're about to hit an object, just brace yourself rather than honk the horn. Keep your elbows FLEXED and not locked in a straight extended position.

[redorange]

im just saying that wearing seatbelts arent common here. only 1 in about 50 people would wear one... i know its strict in other places but yeah... if it were required by the law, it would be no problem for me...

Well your question has already been answered. My dad always said just because others are doing something doesn't mean you have to follow even when you know it's wrong. Whether it's the law or not it's up to you to wear your seatbelt, you have already been made aware of what can happen without it. You are an adult free to make your choices and nobody in this forum can make you wear your seatbelt. Honestly though your reason for not wearing it is lame. Why is it a problem to wear if it's not mandated by law but not a problem if it was mandated by law? Why is a law needed to make you do something that would be beneficial in extending your life in an accident?

[v6dreamer]

If airbags deploy while pressing the horn, surely you can see clearly the polaris up on the sky. One more thing wearing seatbelt is not a guarantee to save's your life in case of an accident, but you have more chances by not wearing at all.

[marv25]

Well your question has already been answered. My dad always said just because others are doing something doesn't mean you have to follow even when you know it's wrong. Whether it's the law or not it's up to you to wear your seatbelt, you have already been made aware of what can happen without it. You are an adult free to make your choices and nobody in this forum can make you wear your seatbelt. Honestly though your reason for not wearing it is lame. Why is it a problem to wear if it's not mandated by law but not a problem if it was mandated by law? Why is a law needed to make you do something that would be beneficial in extending your life in an accident?

ok fine. sorry na nga. pls close this thread. thanks.