Airbags suck

[Unit 5302]

Originally posted by LxMustangRacer
I thought I was reading on a traffic safety website(school paper) that the airbag is supposed to be aimed more towards the chest than the head. Things like seat placement affect them too, you're supposed to sit as far away from them as possible. Shorter people have to sit closer and get hit harder, hopefully such variables are adressed in future models. Dark 5.0, you do know that airbags are designed to be used in conjunction with seatbelts, not a replacement. A lot of the injuries from airbags are for that exact reason. You're really lucky things played out as they did.

The reason you're supposed to sit as far away as possible is for the reason I described above. Say you're in a combined 50mph collison head on. Your body will be travelling towards the steering wheel at right around 900" per sec. A person my height 6'0" should be seated about 24" from the steering wheel. The seat belt should lock within maybe 12" of forward movement, but your head will continue forward after that point. What results is approximately .013 seconds before the seat belt restrains you, and about .027 seconds before you are hurtled into the steering wheel should you not be wearing a seatbelt. More than likely, you're going to meet the airbag. You flinging forward, and the airbag flinging back at you.