How Does An Air Bag Restrain - Chevrolet Corvette 2003 Owner's Manual

When Should an Air Bag Inflate?
An air bag is designed to inflate in a moderate to severe
frontal, or near-frontal crash. The air bag will inflate
only if the impact speed is above the system's designed
"threshold level." If your vehicle goes straight into a
wall that does not move or deform, the threshold level is
about 9 to 15 mph (14 to 24 km/h). The threshold
level can vary, however, with specific vehicle design, so
that it can be somewhat above or below this range. If
your vehicle strikes something that will move or deform,
such as a parked car, the threshold level will be
higher. The air bag is not designed to inflate in rollovers,
rear impacts, or in many side impacts because inflation
would not help the occupant.
In any particular crash, no one can say whether an air
bag should have inflated simply because of the damage
to a vehicle or because of what the repair costs were.
Inflation is determined by the angle of the impact
and how quickly the vehicle slows down in frontal or
near-frontal impacts.
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What Makes an Air Bag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the air bag sensing
system detects that the vehicle is in a crash. The
sensing system triggers a release of gas from the
inflator, which inflates the air bag. The inflator, air bag
and related hardware are all part of the air bag modules
inside the steering wheel and in the instrument panel
in front of the passenger.

How Does an Air Bag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or
the instrument panel. Air bags supplement the
protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute
the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's
upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But air bags would not help you in many types of
collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts and many
side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is
not toward those air bags. Air bags should never be
regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety
belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or
near-frontal collisions.