You might have heard about airbags present in the car, simply airbags used as a protective measure during collisions/ accidents. When there is a car crash, the airbags will quickly inflate and reduce the damage caused to the driver and the passengers. In this article, you will learn about when airbags deploy for rear end collisions.
The History Of Vehicle Air Bags
Initially, airbags were invented in the 1950s and later, during the 1980s, it was available in most cars. At the beginning of the airbag invention, it was not an easy task. Later automobile industry came through all the challenges and currently, almost all the new vehicles have airbags installed in them.
Airs bags were initially present only on the vehicle’s front side, and the rear side had no airbag. But now the airbags are on the rear side too. Porsche 944 Turbo is the first to come to market with airbags installed; this car came in 1987.
John W. Hetrick is the man who owns the credits for the invention of airbags, as he was the person who designed the prevention method during sudden breaks and accidents. Hetrick called airbags a safety cushion.
From the idea of the safety cushion, only the automobile forms the modern airbags. You must also know when airbags deploy for rear end collisions and other types of accidents.
The Main Types of Airbags
Four main types of airbags come in a vehicle. These airbags are present in different places, and this article will provide some information about the common types of airbags.
Side Airbag
this type is found in many newly released vehicles. Side airbag will protect the passenger if the passer collides sideways onto the car during a collision. There are two types of side airbags.
One is the torso present between the door and the driver. The other type of side airbag is the curtain airbag that inflates from your vehicle’s ceiling. Curtain airbags are there to protect the head.
Knee airbags
this type of airbag did not exist before. In the early 2000, the vehicle came with knee airbags. Knee airbags are there to protect your knee during accidents.
Frontal airbags
This type of airbag was present in some cars after the invention of airbags. The frontal airbag is available near the steering wheel and the dash to protect the driver and the passenger. Due to the airbag deployment force, the children sitting in the passenger seat may get injured. Hence the new vehicle has a weight sensor, but the government rules suggest the children to sit in the back seat.
Inflatable seat belts
This is not an airbag but functions similar to it. During crashes, the inflatable airbags will deploy and cover the passenger to reduce the injuries due to the collision. An inflatable seat belt is not available in all cars, but some models have it.
When Do Airbags Deploy for Rear End Collisions?
Rear-end collision often occurs due to drunken drives, when the car in front suddenly hits the brake without warning the vehicle behind, speedy and distracted driving.
During a rear end collision, the airbags will not deploy if the system predicts that the injuries caused due to the crash will be less than the injuries due to airbag deployment. Imagine a vehicle comes and collides at a speed of 20 miles per hour on the rear end of your car.
And due to the force, if you move forward and bump into the car in front, the airbags will deploy. When your vehicle’s engine is on and stationary during traffic, if a car comes at high speed and collides on the rear side of your vehicle, there are possibilities for the airbags to deploy, considering the level of injury.
But if you park the car with the engine off, then if a car bumps forcefully, there are no possibilities for the airbags to deploy.
What Are Dome Lights In A Car And How To Replace Car Dome Lights? Read Here.
What are the Injuries Caused When the Airbags Deploy?
Although airbags are there to prevent severe injuries during collisions, various types of damage occur due to airbags deployment as they deploy very forcefully. When the chest or the breast hits strongly in the airbags, it may cause bruises and sometimes will damage the internal organs.
Airbags can damage the lens and retina of the eye, burn the skin, cause irritation, neck pain, and heart problems and also, if you are pregnant, can affect your pregnancy. Airbag deployment sometimes will affect your ear and cause hearing issues, damage the brain and result in internal injuries.
Hence, it is necessary to educate yourself regarding when airbags deploy for rear end collisions and other crashes. Sometimes if there are faulty airbags present in your vehicle, they will deploy a long time after an accident, this will be unexpected, and injuries due to airbags deployment, in this case, can be worse.
Preventive Measures to Reduce Airbag Injuries
- Make sure you wear the seat belt correctly when driving. Also, anyone sitting in the passenger seat must wear a seat belt. And it would help if you sat in the center of the seat.
- When you are driving, make sure you sit away from the steering wheel, it is best to have at least 10 inches of gap between you and the steering wheel. When the airbags deploy, if you are seated closer to the steering wheel, it will hit your chest and face, causing severe damage.
- Make sure your child sits in the back seat because when airbags deploy, the injuries to the passengers in the back seat will be less. And also, children might not be able to withstand the force of the airbags.
- You can also install an on-off switch for your airbags where you can manually control the deployment of it. You might have to satisfy certain conditions for installing this switch as the government doesn’t allow everyone to install the button.
- During your pregnancy period, refrain from driving vehicles.
This article on when airbags deploy for rear end collisions will help you learn about airbags and when they deploy. You might also have understood the injuries caused by airbag deployment and how you can prevent from them.
