Airbags are considered what type of restraint

A non- active driver would be someone who resides with you who does not drive a vehicle listed on your policy. Hand Position Both hands should be placed outside of the steering wheel on opposite sides. Your grip should be firm, yet gentle. Use your fingers instead of the palms of your hands and keep your thumbs up along the face of the steering wheel. Never turn the wheel while gripping it from the inside of its rim. How Do Airbags Work? Airbags work by inflating as soon as the vehicle starts to slow down as the result of an accident.

They then begin to deflate as soon as the driver or passenger's head makes contact with them. The bag, which is packed into a space behind the steering wheel or on the passenger side dash, inflates. Breed had invented a "sensor and safety system" in It was the world's first electromechanical automotive airbag system.

However, rudimentary patents for airbag predecessors date back to the s. Seat belts are important safety devices that are designed to work effectively only once.

Therefore seat belts that were occupied in a significant crash must be replaced. The webbing is designed to stretch without breaking in order to absorb deceleration forces in a crash.

The entire seat belt assembly must be replaced. Drivers are protected by more car safety features than ever, including airbags, shatter resistant glass, anti-lock brakes, stability control, and more. There are two types of safety features in vehicles - primary and secondary. Primary safety features are ones that help the driver avoid having a crash e. What is an active restraint system? Category: automotive auto safety technologies. These systems are mainly divided into two types: the active and passive restraint systems.

Active restraint systems : The active restraint system needs an extra effort by human to activate or use them. For example: a seat belt must fasten by the passenger to protect them from any crash.

Are seat belts active or passive? What is an example of a passive restraint? Frontal airbags are typically installed in the 1st row and include driver, passenger, and more commonly knee airbags. Curtain airbags are installed in the roof to provide head protection during impacts and retain occupants during rollovers.

The two main components of an airbag are an inflator and a cushion. An inflator is a pyrotechnic device which generates gas to fill a cushion. The cushion or bag is constructed out of a nylon material and sewn or woven into shape.

Accelerometers and predetermined thresholds are utilized to determine if and when to deploy airbags. Direction and duration of impacts are important factors for this decision making process. Because air bags deploy very rapidly, serious or sometimes fatal injuries can occur if the driver or passenger is too close to — or comes in direct contact with — the air bag when it first begins to deploy.

Side-impact air bags inflate even more quickly since there is less space between the driver or passengers and the striking object, whether the interior of the vehicle, another vehicle, a tree, or a pole. Sitting as far back from the steering wheel or dashboard as possible and using seat belts help prevent drivers and passengers from being "too close" to a deploying frontal air bag.

This is why rear-facing car seats should not be placed in front of an active air bag, and children under 13 should be seated in the back seat. Air bags can only deploy once, so make sure you replace used air bags right away after a crash, only at an authorized repair center, and before you drive the vehicle again.

Takata air bags, installed in tens of millions of U. If your car or truck is included in this list of Takata air bag-affected vehicles , contact your dealer for the appropriate repair. You count on your air bag to protect you and others in your vehicle in the event of a crash. If your vehicle is equipped with a counterfeit air bag, there is cause for concern. Counterfeit air bags have been shown to consistently malfunction in ways that range from non-deployment to the expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment.

NHTSA has identified certain vehicle makes and models that may have these air bags. We believe this issue affects less than 0.

Consumers whose vehicles have been in a crash and who have replaced their air bags by a repair shop that is not part of a new car dealership within the past three years or who have purchased a replacement air bag online should contact the call center established by their auto manufacturer to have their vehicle inspected at their own expense and their air bag replaced if necessary.

The responsibility for replacing a counterfeit air bag will vary depending on the circumstances around the original installation of the part. If you are concerned and have an air bag that was replaced at a repair shop recommended by your insurance company, we recommend that you contact your insurance company.

You may also wish to contact your local Consumer Protection Agency or the appropriate State Office of the Attorney General to determine your rights under the law, and the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint.

There are few circumstances under which the risk of sitting in front of an active frontal air bag outweigh the safety benefits. Authorization will be granted under the following four circumstances:. The approval process for deactivation is more rigorous because, while an ON-OFF switch allows the driver or passenger frontal air bag to be turned on and off in appropriate circumstances, deactivation is not so flexible. Once deactivated, an air bag cannot be easily activated for those drivers or passengers who may need it.

If you are interested in having an air bag ON-OFF switch installed in a vehicle you own or lease check with the leasing company first to see if installing an ON-OFF switch would violate the terms of your lease , you will need to:. The activation of an air bag in a crash is dependent on several important factors including: the characteristics of the crash e. Air bags are not intended to deploy in all crashes.

There may be circumstances when an air bag does not deploy. Some possible examples follow:. Frontal air bags are generally designed to deploy in "moderate to severe" frontal or near-frontal crashes, which are defined as crashes that are equivalent to hitting a solid, fixed barrier at 8 to 14 mph or higher. This would be equivalent to striking a parked car of similar size at about 16 to 28 mph or higher. Placing a child in the front seat, no matter what the circumstances, comes with increased risk.