Chevrolet 2005 How Does an Airbag Restrain?, What Will You See After an Airbag Inates?

How Does an Airbag Restrain?
Inmoderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions,
evenbelted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
theinstrument panel. In moderate to severe side
collisions,even belted occupants can contact the inside
ofthe vehicle. The airbag supplements the protection
providedby safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
theimpact more evenly over the occupant’s upper body,
stoppingthe occupant more gradually. But the frontal
airbagswould not help you in many types of collisions,
includingrollovers, rear impacts, and many side impacts,
primarilybecause an occupant’s motion is not toward the
airbag.A side impact airbag would not help you in many
typesof collisions, including frontal or near frontal
collisions,rollovers, and rear impacts, primarily because
anoccupant’s motion is not toward that airbag. Airbags
shouldnever be regarded as anything more than a
supplementto safety belts, and then only in moderate to
severefrontal or near-frontal collisions for the driver’s and
rightfront passenger’s frontal airbags, and only in
moderateto severe side collisions for vehicles with a
driver’sside impact airbag.
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
Afterthe airbag inflates, it quickly deflates, so quickly that
somepeople may not even realize the airbag inflated.
Somecomponents of the airbag module will be hot for a
shorttime. These components include the steering wheel
hubfor the driver’s frontal airbag and the instrument
panelfor the right front passenger’s frontal airbag. For
vehicleswith a driver’s side impact airbag, the side of the
seatbackclosest to the driver’s door will be hot. The parts
ofthe bag that come into contact with you may be warm,
butnot too hot to touch. There will be some smoke and
dustcoming from the vents in the deflated airbags. Airbag
inflationdoes not prevent the driver from seeing or being
ableto steer the vehicle, nor does it stop people from
leavingthe vehicle.
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