When should airbags deploy in a crash?

Question

Hi

im just wondering when a cars airbags should deploy in a crash this is becuase earlier this week i was involved in a head on collision with another car on a single track road, we were both going road the same blind bend and doing about 30-40 mph.

After the police had came and were asking us questions one of them asked me what i had done with my airbags, this is becuase he assumed they had deployed but they hadnt.

the car in question is a puegeot 206 53 reg, and the front end is trashed highly likely its going to get written off now ...

but i want to know how much force it takes for them to deploy?

Answer 1

Airbags are designed to deploy in frontal and near-frontal collisions that are more violent than a 23 km/h (14 mph) barrier collision, or similarly, striking a parked car of similar size across the full front of each vehicle at about twice the speed. (The parked car absorbs some of the energy of the crash.)

Answer 2

Airbags are designed to deploy only when they might be needed to prevent serious injury. In order for airbags to be effective they must deploy early in a crash; in a frontal crash this typically occurs within the first 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds). A vehicle's airbag control module relies on feedback from crash sensors to predict whether an event is severe enough to warrant an airbag deployment.

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 3

Ive been in a few accidents (God bless I wasnt driving, they were all in different freinds cars. New drivers) In none of the 3 accidents did the air bags deploy.

It depends on the speed, where exactly did the car collide and how many airbags in the car.

An airbag will only deploy if there is sufficient pressure when there is an accident.

Either the collision was not serious or your airbags were faulty!!!

Answer 4

it's reated at PSI-usually takes a 5 - 10 mph crash to deploy. See the owner's manual to see if the warranty on them had expired. They used to be good for a certain amount of time, then they had to be serviced. If they are in spec-get a lawyer- cha-ching!!!