GM airbags in a 2005 montana SV6?

Question

my van smacked into the back of a car and the airbags did not go off. i was going between 40 and 50kms. the damage is done on the front drivers side of my van. and it is not just a little smack. i would like to know how fast you have to be going for the airbags to go off. if someone knows please answer. i need help to prove some things about the crash.

Answer 1

Frontal airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal crashes.

Some manufacturers use different inflation thresholds depending on whether people are using their safety belts.

One threshold used by airbag designers is "must deploy" which includes a situation such as an impact into a rigid wall of 10-12 mph for unbelted occupants.

The "must deploy" threshold is slightly higher — about 16 mph — for belted occupants because the belts alone are likely to provide adequate protection up to these moderate speeds.

Frontal airbags may deploy to help protect occupants in side impacts if there is sufficient forward deceleration during the crash.

For example, if a vehicle is moving forward at the time of a side impact, frontal airbags can help prevent serious injuries.

Answer 2

It's not about speed, it's about impact force.  The collision didn't have enough force to require airbags, so they didn't go off.

This was the right thing to do.  Proof is that you're here to tell the tale.   Airbags are not like being picked up by angels, they're like getting a full body check from Mike Tyson.  You will have deep bruises all over, and you can also have broken wrists, broken ribs, broken arms even, FROM THE AIR BAG.  The idea is it's better than dying.

It doesn't help that American airbags are calibrated to assume the occupant may not be wearing his seat belt, and so they hit a lot harder than Euro airbags, which assume the occupant is.