Air bags

b2428 · 30-03-2013, 08:07 PM

Im not sure where to post this but I have a question in regards to airbag speeds. This misses was in an accident involving a hiace campervan and her k12 Micra on Thursday. Both her and the towie seem to think that she hit this thing at roughly 40ish km/h. The force was enough to snap the engine mounts and bend the left rail all the way back. The micra did well didnt deform around the main structure but twisted the right side of the front around to the left a fair bit. All this was done without the bags going off. I find this to be quite a worry considering the estimated speeds as well as the actual damage to the front end of this thing.

Hit the van just in front of the rear left wheel. Barely a mark considering the considerable damage to the front of her car.

Any ideas as to if the bags should have gone off or not?

The Yeti · 30-03-2013, 08:42 PM

If they didn't deploy they wernt needed, you already said it crumpled around the main structure,

Everything engendering wise seems to have worked well

Hope every one was ok

mik · 30-03-2013, 10:33 PM

I go along with THE Yeti, i think there is a happy medium with the speed at which the air bag/s go off, 40 kph is a decent hit, but ......... not one you would think often would be life threatening, if air bags went off for lower speed accidents, i`m thinking possibly the pain and suffering caused by the air bags could well be worse than the accident, glad your missus is ok.

The Yeti · 31-03-2013, 09:19 AM

My wife was TBoned in her AU fairmont about 10years ago all airbags went off and I think she had more injuries from the bags than she did the impact.

Now I don't for a second think they went of prematurely, I believe if they hadn't her injurys would have been much worse.

In the end my was refused to be transported with little more than some friction burns to her hands and wrists and what looked like a hell of a good slap to the right cheek with out the bags she would have no doubt smacked the pillar or side window with that cheek / face

But if the impact was less sevear all they would have done is added to he cost of repair ( in this case it was a total loss any how)

Fiesta God · 31-03-2013, 10:11 AM

Very rare for airbags to deploy under 40km/h, I would say that the safety systems have done their job.

b2428 · 31-03-2013, 10:34 AM

Thanks guys. She pulled up alright..Sore neck, back and belly where the seat belt held her. I was just curious as I havent been in an accident in a car with bags before. She said her head travelled a fair way forward etc but even though I have photos of the car doesnt show the magnitude of the force. It has literally pulled the right of the car to the left forward of the screen. At the end of the day she is safe and thats all that matters. Mind you she is also a Holden girl who is very disappointed driving one of the Fords we have and also missing her little Micra like crazy haha

**redxm** · 31-03-2013, 10:45 AM

Depends on angle of impact and deceleration.

Good to hear she is Ok

Matt5933 · 31-03-2013, 06:48 PM

Some cars have weight sensors in the seats. My last car has some sensor that would de-activate the air bag if the driver was under 70kg. However this was an older car and my mechanic said smaller or lighter people can sometimes be worse off with an airbag deployment and so on.

Bossxr8 · 31-03-2013, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b2428

Thanks guys. She pulled up alright..Sore neck, back and belly where the seat belt held her. I was just curious as I havent been in an accident in a car with bags before. She said her head travelled a fair way forward etc but even though I have photos of the car doesnt show the magnitude of the force. It has literally pulled the right of the car to the left forward of the screen. At the end of the day she is safe and thats all that matters. Mind you she is also a Holden girl who is very disappointed driving one of the Fords we have and also missing her little Micra like crazy haha

The fact she walked away basically unhurt shows that the cars action to not deploy the airbags was the right one. Airbags are only supposed to deploy in life threatening collisions.

Danny · 31-03-2013, 08:53 PM

I beleive mostly those accidents above 55 or 60kmh that they deploy, side and curtains being a lower threshold. The engine mounts breaking are by design, the Fiesta since the WP has had this feature so the engine does not push into and deform the dashboard.

These are the features that kept her safe at the low speed impact she experienced. Airbag may have been called upon in addition if the speed was higher.

Franco Cozzo · 31-03-2013, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by b2428

belly where the seat belt held her.

This is such a bastard, especially at higher speeds. I had purple bruising all over my chest and lower stomach where the lap part of the belt held me in.

You go from your speed to 0 in a tiny amount of time, your body pushes forwards against the seatbelt real hard, and the pretensioners on the seat belts fire, ripping the belt back in tighter to hold you in more while you're pressing up against it.

I've been looking for those soft foam seat belt wraps but can't find them anywhere.

If the airbag deploys it throws your glasses off your face, damages the lens and bends the frames ($700 down the drain), receive minor burns (or more serious depending on how close you are to the wheel when you adjust your seat), lose your hearing for a good 30 seconds, and get this ****** taste in your mouth for a few hours.

For airbags to deploy, you have to be going at a higher speed, usually over 40km/h and it has to trigger off a few sensors at once to get them to deploy.

If you want to experience airbag deployment, buy a steering wheel one from the wreckers, extend the wires and put them to positive and negative on a battery.

Do it inside your garage with the doors closed, imagine that noise except about a meter or less from your ear and it hitting you in the face.

Though with modern cars you can get a half deployment or a full deployment from the airbags, depending on speed and severity of crash.

We did it at TAFE but they put the airbag inside the sealed dyno room and made us stand outside the room with safety glasses on. When it went off in my car, it hit me in the face and I was wearing my perscription glasses, so I didn't really see the point, we should have been in there with it.

**M&Ms** · 01-04-2013, 12:20 AM

Airbags deploy dependant on the deceleration forces, not on the speed of the car per se.

Airbags are almost a last resort device to stop you hitting the dash / steering wheel / b-pillar, they soften an otherwise horrible blow, they are not a device which pop for your comfort. If an airbag deploys in an accident, then it is quite severe, severe enough that without the airbags you might end up dead. If you have an accident where you walk away relatively unscathed rather than being stretchered away, then they most likely did not need to be deployed.

Great to hear your missus isn't too banged up after that.

Technology - I Love it!!!

K93George · 01-04-2013, 09:41 AM

When I got hit by a taxi side on which pushed my car straight through a pole, I remember the collision being quite comfortable. The FG did an amazing job considering both cars were written off with heavy structural damage, no airbag deployment though. Neither the girl I was with or I were able to get out because the doors had jammed. After some help we both got out; I was completely unhurt, not even a bruise! She had minor bruising on the leg and moderate chest pains from the seatbelt. Seems the Taxi which was a BA held up well also, driver and passengers in complete shock but no injuries, also no airbag deployment.

The airbags appear to only deploy in situations where the passengers risk severe injury otherwise.

**Kingsley** · 01-04-2013, 04:22 PM

My wife ploughed into the rear right side of a ute in a late model Kia Rio at at speed about 60kph on impact. The impact was severe enough for her to roll the car completely ,basically tearing the left side front clean off. (diff on the ute was near the front d/s door) Yet airbags failed to deploy. She walked away uninjured but I thought it was unusual the bags didn't go off on initial impact.

damo03 · 02-04-2013, 08:02 AM

It depends entirely on the manner in which the vehicle hits and how much (negative) acceleration there is. I witnessed a VE sedan frontal impact testing at 40kph into a concrete wall and that is bloody scary! The car would never drive again and the airbags were definitely needed and deployed.

Hitting a stationary vehicle is a lot more desirable as the stationary vehicle will be shunted somewhat and the acceleration (negative) will be less, that is the vehicle will take longer distance to come to a standstill.

As others have said, if they airbags did not go off, they probably didn't need to (would not have been beneficial in that style of impact).

snowcone · 03-04-2013, 01:09 PM

My son-in-law is a NSW Police officer and 2 years ago he had collision with a power pole while involved in a police pursuit. He was driving a POS Falcon and the air bags didn't deploy. Speed was estimated at 80km/h just before the impact. His head went into the windscreen resulting in concussion and glass embedded in his head while his partner was trapped in the vehicle with a broken leg. Resulted in an internal investigation by the RAT squad as to the cause of the incident but no one even mentioned that the air bags failed.

poppa smurf · 03-04-2013, 01:20 PM

funny things airbags.....I've attended major accidents involving head, side, rollover and rear.. low and high speed where the deployment of the airbags have been spasmodic to say the least

some of the accidents involved fatalities where airbags failed to deploy (would it have made a difference if they did, who knows)

then I've seen minor carpark bingles where the motor vehicle has been written off because of the deployment of airbags adding to the cost of repair, certainly unnecessary deployment IMHO

very strange creatures indeed, but wiser folk than I designed them so who am I to ponder their action

funny how you say your wife misses her micra......my wife has one and wouldn't trade it for any other vehicle.....absolutely adores it

one thing for sure, I'm glad the vehicle done it's job and your wife is safe!

**M&Ms** · 03-04-2013, 05:05 PM

VT - VY Commodores have a habit of not deploying airbags in instances you would think they should.

Crazy Dazz · 03-04-2013, 06:21 PM

As others have said, it depends on the angle and nature of the impact. Keep in mind that our airbags are different to the USA (ours are typically referred to as “Euro” bags.) The seatbelt is designed to hold to in your seat, not the airbag. Your front airbag is designed to stop your head hit the steering wheel, dashboard, or windscreen. So in a head-on collision it might deploy at a relatively low speed, or in a side impact side airbags and curtains may deploy.

I have seen a few damaged AU falcons, and the only time the airbag deployed was when the subframe was impacted. In all the others the periphery of the car absorbed the impact.
So as in your missus’ case, I’d say the sensors worked.

**redxm** · 03-04-2013, 07:08 PM

Years ago I saw a Patrol with the front wheels under the door. Airbag didnt go off.

2011G6E · 03-04-2013, 08:21 PM

All depends on the impact angle and speed...lots of people think any impact will set them off.

Still, better than the first American-spec air bags that were tested in the outback that went off when you hit a typical dip or rut in the road...they're calibrated to go off at lower speeds and impacts and also harder to allow for people who are probably not wearing a seat belt...lot of dead children and small-framed women over there from air bag injuries over the years...