Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Brian Carlton
Kindly explain how a person will come in contact with the airbag (with the possible exception of the head) if the shoulder harness immediately locks, in the event of a suitiable deceleration force, and prevents the upper body from moving forward?
|
Never having had the opportunity to personally experience an airbag deployment, I have to admit I don't have first-hand knowledge of this. However, I'm going by what my wife experienced, and by what another friend experienced in an accident w/o an airbag. So here is how I understand it.
The airbag is designed to fill the space between the occupant and the dash / steering wheel instantly. My wife said it was the airbag that stopped her
going forward, not the seatbelt. The airbag completely filled the driver's space and actually pushed her against the seat back. It seems the airbag deployed faster than the seatbelt restrained her. The rash she got from the seatbelt came for the side-to-side motion as the seatbelt prevented her from hitting either the door or flopping onto the passenger side.
The friend I was mentioning was stopped when he was rear-ended by a car going over 50 MPH. His car then hit the one in front of him. Since he had no airbag, the seatbelt restrained him as he went forward, but it broke his collarbone and several of his ribs. (I would expect the same would have happened to my wife w/o the airbag). He doesn't remember, but the hospital said he also hit his head on the steering wheel. His right shoulder and arm went forward, which permitted him to slide out of the three-point seat belt a little. As a result, his upper body and neck flexed enought for his head to go forward and hit the wheel. No matter how you slice it, though, it was a hell of a lot better than having him fly through the wind screen.