Airbags

[boybi]

I have a few question concerning airbags:

1. Have anyone here experienced an accident where the airbags were deployed? Masakit ba tamaan ng airbag?

2. If one is wearing glasses, will this be fatal when the airbags deploy?

3. Children below 10yo are prohibited to seat in front because of the airbag. Most new cars now come standard with curtain/side airbags. Does this mean children should also not seat on the sides of the 2nd row seats?

[mbeige]

1. From what I've read and heard, parehong malakas yung impact at nakakabingi. Kapag panget yung model kinetics nung sasakyan, you might not hit the airbag properly. Kaya you should always sit in a good driving position (wag yung "gangsta style" na naka lean back yung backrest). Top Gear has a show on it using the Renault Megane and a live test driver. It was at 30mph.

2. Not fatal, but it can cause the glasses to fly away, break, or injure the face - also from what I've heard/read.

3. The side airbags do not inflate inwards, they inflate longitudinally or vertically, not laterally. That means it just pops in right before the door panel gets squished onto you, cushioning your body/head from the impact. The side curtain airbags protect your head from hitting the hard surface of the vehicle broadsiding you. Children should be OK on the rear seats, side or center.

If the child is less than 60lbs (correct me if I wrote the wrong weight) he/she should be restrained in a child seat with a good attachment (LATCH) on the car frame.

[wildthing]

1. Haven't experience it and hope hindi..
2. Yes, as mentioned it can break on your face...best option is to keep a good distance from your steering wheel. As recommended by manufacturers, an arm length should be enough safe distance to this.
3. As explained above.

[niky]

The reason children shouldn't sit in front is because the seatbelt doesn't hold a child properly, so they can slip forward more than an adult would. This puts their head in the perfect position so that an airbag can either a.) break their neck, or b.) suffocate them.

In fact, even in the rear seats, as mbeige has said, they need to be in a properly secured child seat. Even larger children don't fit seatbelts well, and can slip out of adult seatbelts and break their necks when they hit the seat in front of them.

[GerardTagayty]

yun bang mga compact cars natin may sensor kung may nakaupo sa passenger side?

[niky]

Nope. Not yet. This is required in the US, but it hasn't been implemented here yet.

There's a US sensor that deactivates the front passenger airbag if the front passenger is below a certain weight.

[boybi]

Where does the curtain airbags come out? from the pillars?

[russpogi]

Concerned po ako sa glasses when driving when airbags deploy. Will it hurt/damage my eyes on impact when the airbags deploy? I wear rimless spectacles kse.

[niky]

They don't always come out of the pillars... I think the Civic's side airbags come out of the front seats (that's why the sides are plastic). Depends on the car.

It'll hurt, but since the force is distributed, I don't think it'll send shards of glass into your eyes.

[mbeige]

Where does the curtain airbags come out? from the pillars?

Curtain airbags drop from above. That's why they're called curtain airbags.

Side air bags come from the seat bolster, built in. You'll see an "SRS" stitched onto the seat with a line that signifies the weakpoint for when the airbag deploys, it rips through it and follows its shape to protect your sides.

As for glasses, the worst case is the nose bridge supports will get flattened and may press more on your nose/bridge. Sometimes they get flung out first, so it all depends on the type of impact and angle of impact.