When Should An Airbag Inflate - Chevrolet Enjoy Owner's Manual

WHEN SHOULD AN AIRBAG
INFLATE?
Frontal airbags are designed to inflate
in moderate to severe frontal or near-
frontal crashes to help reduce the
potential for severe injuries mainly to
the driver's or outboard front passen-
ger's head and chest. However, they are
only designed to inflate if the impact
exceeds a predetermined deployment
threshold. Deployment thresholds are
used to predict how severe a crash is
likely to be in time for the airbags to
inflate and help restrain the occupants.
Whether the frontal airbags will or
should deploy is not based on how fast
your vehicle is traveling. It depends
largely on what you hit, the direction of
the impact, and how quickly your
vehicle slows down.
Frontal airbags may inflate at different
crash speeds. For example:
If the vehicle hits a stationary
Ÿ
object, the airbags could inflate at a
different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits a moving object.
Ÿ If the vehicle hits an object that
deforms, the airbags could inflate at
a different crash speed than if the
vehicle hits an object that does not
deform.
If the vehicle hits a narrow object
Ÿ
(like a pole), the airbags could
inflate at a different crash speed
than if the vehicle hits a wide object
(like a wall).
If the vehicle goes into an object at
Ÿ
an angle, the airbags could inflate at
a different crash speed than if the
vehicle goes straight into the object.
Thresholds can also vary with specific
vehicle design.
Frontal airbags are not intended to
inflate during vehicle rollovers, rear
impacts, or in many side impacts.
Always wear your safety belt, even
with frontal airbags.
Seats and Restraints 3-21
In any particular crash, no one can say
whether an airbag should have inflated
simply because of the damage to a
vehicle or because of what the repair
costs were. For frontal airbags, inflation
is determined by what the vehicle hits, the
angle of the impact, and how quickly the
vehicle slows down.