Quote:
Originally Posted by NJSPEEDER
air bags are theoretically a good idea, cushion the head and uper torso from the impact of an accident. the problem is that most people do not put their seat in a proper spot or hold the wheel correctly, so the real world effect is often minimized
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mercedes has an option called pre-safe. with this option, if the various sensors in the vehicle feel a crash is iminent, it will move the seat into an "optimum" position for the occupant's weight. it will also close the windows/sunroof, tension the seatbelts, and prepare the ETRs to fire, but thats not airbags...
airbags are used to supplement the effectiveness of a seatbelt. pretty much they are meant to cushion the driver who is still going the direction and speed of the vehicle all while the belt is holding them back...so like tim said they dont taste the steering wheel or dash. now a days, most vehicles have 2 stage airbags, each stage running on their own squib, and depending on the severity of the crash will fire accordingly. the cool stuff now is beginning to be in the seatbelts, when the ETRs fire to pull the occupant back into the seat following airbag deployment.
In a nutshell, you arent supposed to come into contact with the airbag while its exploding, you are supposed to come into contact with it post-explosion, hitting a cushion. most people dont seem to be that lucky.