ow
does
an
air
bag restrain?
In
moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions,
even belted occupants
can
contact
the
steering
wheel
or the
instrument panel.
Air
bags supplement the protection
provided by safety belts.
Air
bags distribute the force
of
the impact more evenly over
the
occupant’s upper
body,
stopping
the
occupant more gradually.
But
air
bags would
not help you
in
many types
of
collisions, including
rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily because
an
occupant’s motion
is
not toward those
air
bags. Air
bags 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.
What will you see after an air
bag
inflates?
After an air bag inflates, it quickly deflates,
so
quickly that some people may not even realize the
air bag inflated. Some components of the air bag
module
--
the steering wheel hub for
the
driver’s
air bag,
or the instrument panel for
the
right front passenger’s
bag
--
will be hot for
a
short
time. The parts
of
the bag
that come into contact with
you
may be warm, but not
too hot
to
touch. There will
be
some smoke and dust
coming
from vents in the deflated
air
bags. Air bag
inflation doesn’t prevent the driver from seeing or from
being able to steer the vehicle,
nor
does
it
stop people
from leaving the vehicle.
When an air
bag
inflates, there
is
dust
in the air.
s
dust could cause breathing
probliems
for people with
a
history
of
asthma
or
other
breathing trouble.
To
avoid
this, everyone in the
vehicle
should
get out
as soon
as
it
is
safe
$0
do
so.
If
you have breathing problems
but
can’t
get out
of
the vehicle after
an
air bag
inflates,
then
get
fresh
ah
by
OpeniIlg
a
WhdoW
Or
door*
Your vehicle
has
a
feature that will automatically unlock
the doors and turn the interior lamps on when the air
bags
inflate
(if
battery power is available).
You
can lock
the doors again and turn the interior
lamps
off
by using
the
door lock and interior lamp controls.
In
many crashes severe enough
to
inflate an air bag,
windshields are broken by vehicle deformation.
Additional windshield breakage may also
QCCUI-
from
the
right front passenger
air
bag.
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