Is there a certain speed you must be traveling at before an air bag will deploy in a crash?

Question

my boyfrinend was in a collision and not speeding and the air bag did not deploy.was it due to speed

Answer 1

You must simulate hitting a wall between 20-30mph (or somewhere around this speed).

Answer 2

Airbags deploy only when they might be needed to prevent serious injury.

Frontal driver and passenger airbags are designed to inflate in moderate to severe frontal crashes equivalent to hitting a solid barrier at 10-12 mph.

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

Thresholds of 10-12 mph typically are used for unbelted occupants, but thresholds are higher — about 16 mph — for belted occupants because the belts alone are likely to provide adequate protection up to these moderate speeds.

Answer 3

Airbags have nothing to do with speed. It's down to how much damage is sustained to the car. The airbag is deployed when a sensor is activated (Under the air bag for frontal smash). This is more likely to deploy at faster speeds however as more damage is likely to be caused at higher speeds.

Answer 4

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.