3 Things You Should Know About Your Airbag

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Airbags are an essential part of vehicle and car accident safety. They have become such a fundamental part of collision safety that many people may feel uncomfortable riding in a vehicle that doesn’t have airbags installed. Despite their important function, many people are not completely familiar with the regulations of airbags or even how they work.

Our Bryan car accident lawyers share some information that you should know, especially if you are in a collision that will deploy your airbags.

Safe for most, dangerous for some

Even though airbags are an important part of safety for adults, they can be incredibly dangerous for children. The force at which an airbag deploys can severely harm or even kill a child. If you are driving children, especially smaller children, it is safer for them to ride in the backseats. Children or babies that sit in backward facing car seats should never sit in the front seat. If you are a small adult, make sure you do not sit too closely to the steering wheel for your safety.

Best paired with a seatbelt

For an airbag to be most effective, you should also wear your seatbelt. Wearing your seatbelt at the time of a crash can help prevent whiplash or ejection from the vehicle, both of which can be caused by your airbag. The design of an airbag is meant to increase the stop time so that body isn’t whipped around by the collision. However, without being restrained by a seatbelt, the airbag’s impact can severely harm the body, damaging bone, and soft tissue.

It’s a chemical reaction, not “air”

Despite how common they are, many people just don’t know how airbags even work. When your airbag senses a collision, a chemical reaction between sodium azide and potassium nitrate causes gas to expand the bag quickly. The reaction happens so quickly that the expanding bag has been known to injure people with force. To ensure that you don’t get stuck behind an inflated bag, there are holes that release the gas and deflate the bag.

To learn more about safety and car accident injuries, contact Waltman & Grisham Attorneys at Law today.
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