How Does an Airbag Restrain?In moderate to severe frontal or near frontalcollisions, even belted occupants can contactthe steering wheel or the instrument panel.In moderate to severe side collisions, even beltedoccupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.The airbag supplements the protection providedby safety belts. Airbags distribute the force ofthe impact more evenly over the occupant’supper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.But the frontal airbags would not help you inmany types of collisions, including rollovers, rearimpacts, and many side impacts, primarily becausean occupant’s motion is not toward the airbag.Roof-mounted rollover airbags would not helpyou in many types of collisions, including manyfrontal or near frontal collisions, and rear impacts,primarily because an occupant’s motion is nottoward the airbag. Airbags should never beregarded as anything more than a supplementto safety belts, and then only in moderate tosevere frontal or near-frontal collisions for thedriver’s and right front passenger’s frontal airbags,and only in moderate to severe side collisionsfor roof-mounted rollover airbags.What Will You See After anAirbag Inflates?After a frontal airbag inflates, it quickly deflates,so quickly that some people may not even realizethe airbag inflated. Roof-mounted rolloverairbags deflate more slowly and may still be atleast partially inflated minutes after the vehiclecomes to rest. Some components of the airbagmodule may be hot for a short time. Thesecomponents include the steering wheel hub for thedriver’s frontal airbag and the instrument panelfor the right front passenger’s frontal airbag.For vehicles with roof-mounted rollover airbags,the ceiling of your vehicle near the side windowsmay be hot. The parts of the bag that comeinto contact with you may be warm, but not toohot to touch. There will be some smoke and dustcoming from the vents in the deflated airbags.Airbag inflation does not prevent the driver fromseeing out of the windshield or being able tosteer the vehicle, nor does it stop people fromleaving the vehicle.98
