In a car crash, does the seat belt have to be buckled for the airbag to deploy?
Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at
6:55 am
In a car crash, does the seat belt have to be buckled for the airbag to deploy? Is there a difference in US cars and european cars?
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US and European airbags operate differently.
In territories where the use of a seatbelt is mandatory, such as the UK, the airbag will be smaller and deploy more slowly. This is because it’s function is just to catch the occupants head and prevent it from striking the steering wheel or dashboard in the event of a collision. They are not big enough or fast enough to arrest the weight of an unrestrained occupant and could even cause additional injuries.
Always wear a seatbelt.
**EDIT**
Not sure whether or not there would be any difference between US cars and European cars being sold in the US. I would imagine that they pack whatever standard of airbag is required by law in that territory. That would be question to direct towards your local dealer.
No………….
no
no. in some new cars though, if the passenger’s seat belt isnt buckled, the passenger air bag is shut off and will not deploy. the driver will also get an annoying warning chime that will not stop untill you put your belt on.
No. But an airbag loses a lot, if not all, of it’s function if the driver slides or moves out of position, which is possible if the person is unbuckled. There are sensors in the seats of some cars so if no passenger weight is detected, the airbag does not deploy. This function exists only to save money in case of an accident. Why replace an airbag that deployed when no one was sitting there to be protected? They have airbags n Honda Goldwing motorycles now.
no the set belt does not have to be buckled for the ari bag to deploy.
It is deployed by the impact.
i don’t think that there would be a difference
No.
In some cars there is a weight sensor in the passenger seat for the passenger air bag. This has two advantages. Primarily safety, airbags can cause severe injury or death to children. The weight sensor is usually set close to 60 lbs to activate the airbag (varies by manufacturer.) The second advantage is cost. The passenger airbag, aside from being very expensive itself (around $800 in most cars), causes a massive amount of damage to the dash and windshield that can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Well worth it if it’s saved someone’s life but not as good if it totals your car for the empty seat next to you.
I think it depends upon the vehicle – in my Honda manual it specifically states that if you don’t have a belt on the airbag won’t deploy. I had a minor accident once and wondered why it didn’t deploy so I looked it up.