What Makes An Airbag Inflate; How Does An Airbag Restrain - Chevrolet 2007 Silverado 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual

If the front of your vehicle goes straight into a wall
that does not move or deform, the threshold
level for the reduced deployment is about
10 to 16 mph (16 to 25 km/h), and the threshold
level for a full deployment is about 20 to 30 mph
(32 to 48 km/h). The threshold level can vary,
however, with specific vehicle design, so that it can
be somewhat above or below this range.
Vehicle's with dual stage airbags also have
special sensors which enable the sensing system
to monitor the position of both the driver and
passenger front seats. The seat position sensor
provides information which is used to determine if
the airbags should deploy at a reduced level or
at full deployment.
What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
In an impact of sufficient severity, the airbag
sensing system detects that the vehicle is
in a crash. The sensing system triggers a release
of gas from the inflator, which inflates the
airbag. The inflator, airbag, and related hardware
are all part of the airbag modules inside the
steering wheel and in the instrument panel in front
of the right front passenger.

How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal
collisions, even belted occupants can contact the
steering wheel or the instrument panel. The
airbag supplements the protection provided by
safety belts. Airbags distribute the force of
the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper
body, stopping the occupant more gradually.
But airbags 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 airbags.
Airbags 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.
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