Ever been in a car when airbags deployed?

Atlantic Dawn

Anyone ever been in an crash where the airbags deployed? What was the experience like, is it like a nice drop on to a pillow or a massive shock to the body?

AndyBoBandy

I wrote off an Astra (rental car) in galway about 12 years ago, airbags deployed, I remember the smell & smoke in the cabin afterwards, and the sense of shock that it had actually happened!

markc1184

We were tboned a few years back and it set off all the airbags. Myself and my mother were both left with small burns on our faces and particularly around the bridge of my nose from the bags.

CeilingFly

It's like getting a hard slap on the face by one of those jute "bags for life" bags

JC01

More times than I'd like to recall at this point, I'm a very unlucky passenger answer is it's really unpleasant and the smoke completely fills the car afterwards adding to the disorientation of being in a crash.

If noticed the more modern the car the less severe the hit is from the airbags themselves, mid 90s Japanese stuff is like getting a smack off of a gorilla!

grogi

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Anyone ever been in an crash where the airbags deployed? What was the experience like, is it like a nice drop on to a pillow or a massive shock to the body?

Certainly not a drop on a pillow - it is much faster than you'd realize. Afterwards had to look for my glasses

bear1

Once, brother was driving our mum's car and took his eyes off the road for what seemed like a few seconds and next thing I know the loud explosion and just this white powdery smoke filling the cabin.
I didn't get hit with the bag itself but the shock afterwards is pretty unique.
I felt disoriented for a few seconds afterwards.

KevRossi

The 'smoke' is actually talcum powder, or sometimes corn powder.

Its used to prevent the folded airbag cracking after being kept folded up for years.

Gas used for deployment is a mix of sodium and nitrogen.

Mojo Hand

I flipped a Renault convertible a few years ago. Airbags saved my life but hurt a lot Seat airbags exploded and injured both sides and an airbag under the seat nearly blew my ass off. All I remember is a big flash of red/orange. Every bag in the car, about 9/10 went off, but they locked my in to the seat for a couple of seconds. The pain was a small price to pay though in yhe overall scheme of things.

KERSPLAT!

Once. Car pulled out from a side road, I hit it side on at about 60kmph. I don't actually recall what it felt like but the car filled with what I thought was smoke so I panicked and dragged myself out of the car as quick as I could. Car was a write off.

sunnysoutheast

Only once so far, touch wood etc. etc.

Was a passenger in a BMW which ended up T-boning another car during a multi-vehicle crash at about 50mph on the M6.

Think there were about 8 cars involved. No serious injuries amazingly. A testament to safety standards.

As others have said the smoky/burning smell afterwards is very disconcerting.

Grolschevik

On a related note, how can you know if your airbags would still work after a number of years? My car just turned 18...

bear1

Grolschevik wrote: »

On a related note, how can you know if your airbags would still work after a number of years? My car just turned 18...

Usually there is a sticker which says when they need to be "serviced".
At least I remember on the accord there was the sticker.
Theoretically it should last the life time of the car

Grolschevik

bear1 wrote: »

Usually there is a sticker which says when they need to be "serviced".
At least I remember on the accord there was the sticker.
Theoretically it should last the life time of the car

If there is, I've never seen one. I'll check the manual.

bmc58

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

I wrote off an Astra (rental car) in galway about 12 years ago, airbags deployed, I remember the smell & smoke in the cabin afterwards, and the sense of shock that it had actually happened!

Never happened to me in 35 years of driving.But just wondering,as I wear glasses would my glasses be pushed into my face?

bmc58

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

Once. Car pulled out from a side road, I hit it side on at about 60kmph. I don't actually recall what it felt like but the car filled with what I thought was smoke so I panicked and dragged myself out of the car as quick as I could. Car was a write off.

Wow scarey stuff.Don't want that experience.

porsche boy

Grolschevik wrote:

On a related note, how can you know if your airbags would still work after a number of years? My car just turned 18...

Now this is a very important question, and one that has an effect on car manufacturing across the world.
If you read your owners manual you will find somewhere, and not necessarily in the airbag section, that the usable life of an airbag is 10 years. After that time the detonators can not be guaranteed to deploy correctly or at all.
Now count the amount of airbags in cars from 2008, at least 6 on an average family car - driver & passanger airbags, driver & passanger lateral (side) airbags & 2 curtain airbags. Some other cars will have knee bags, rear door airbags etc. But lets take 6 as an average. To replace 6 bags & SRS ecu would cost thousands of euro effectively writing the car off (costs more then the actual value of the car) so manufacturers are now looking at producing a car with built in obsolescence of 10 year's. This is precisely why 'cars arnt built like they used to be', because cars are now a disposable item, not a multi decade investment.
For more evidence of this you can look at the insurance industry's attitude toward 10 year old cars... and i believe some are looking at not insuring pre 08 cars at all from November of this year....

Atlantic Dawn

porsche boy wrote: »

For more evidence of this you can look at the insurance industry's attitude toward 10 year old cars... and i believe some are looking at not insuring pre 08 cars at all from November of this year....

A third of people killed on the roads were not even wearing seat belts, wouldn't matter if it was a 2 week old 182 they were driving...

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/over-a-third-of-drivers-killed-weren-t-wearing-seat-belts-1.2317174

dr.fuzzenstein

Once. Was driving past traffic on the other side of the road at about 80 km/h and the last car veered out onto my side of the road a few meters ahead of me.
Couldn't even reach the brake that fast.
Funnily I don't even remember the airbags going off, it was all a blur, one millisecond there wasn't airbag, next there was. It was only when I looked down I realized the seatbelt tensioners had deployed. The crash didn't seem all that bad, 90's Renaults are very good in a crash.
Mid nineties Starlets are sh*t.

MrCostington

JC01 wrote: »

More times than I'd like to recall at this point, I'm a very unlucky passenger answer is it's really unpleasant and the smoke completely fills the car afterwards adding to the disorientation of being in a crash.

If noticed the more modern the car the less severe the hit is from the airbags themselves, mid 90s Japanese stuff is like getting a smack off of a gorilla!

You seem like quite the connoisseur !!

StereoSound

In traffic my ex gf had the airbag in a Corsa blow up in her face...Faulty sensor. It terrified the life out of her. I had to go to the car and drive it back for her, she wouldn't get back in it. Airbag was never replaced since she said she was afraid it would happen again. I can understand I guess...

CrankyHaus

Happened once in a front impact. Like Dr Fuzz I found that the bag deployed so fast that I was aware of it after it happened rather than aware of it happening. I don't recall getting a smack on the face from it either, maybe because the impact was not too strong, but my leg and back ached afterwards for like a week.

The one thing I can say is that the 90s film trope of having to shoot the inflated airbag to escape from the car is total BS, it deflates quick enough that you can get straight out easily.

derossi

The airbag itself inflates that quickly, by the time your face hits it it should already be deflating!

ED E

Its some whack if you've not decelerated much by the time of impact. Head on in the UK as a teenager, bust my eyebrow open like a punch would. Blacked out for maybe 1-2s so very confused coming round in a car full of powder which appears like smoke.

Did its job though and I continued my itinerary the next day with just some steri strips.



The lifespan of a bag may be officially 10yrs but the fact that forensic collision investigators aren't complaining about rampant deployment failures make me think that's a pretty high threshold they're applying and what might be a 99.98% success rate at 10yrs might be 99.96 at 20yrs.

Bigus

boombang

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

A third of people killed on the roads were not even wearing seat belts, wouldn't matter if it was a 2 week old 182 they were driving...

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/over-a-third-of-drivers-killed-weren-t-wearing-seat-belts-1.2317174

This is depressing. I'm amazed that people can be so stupid.

Snowseer

Bigus wrote: »

/QUOTE]

:pac:

fancy pigeon

It's like getting hit in the face with a handbag

Happened once many, many years ago when I got ran off the road by a... well, I can't say, a certain group of whingers would jump down my throat and support this irresponsible individuals actions!

Micky 32

Yep when a yank was on the wrong side of the and hit me head on. To be honest they shoot out so quickly you don't notice it much, all over and done in a split second.

Wibbs

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

A third of people killed on the roads were not even wearing seat belts, wouldn't matter if it was a 2 week old 182 they were driving...

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/over-a-third-of-drivers-killed-weren-t-wearing-seat-belts-1.2317174

I'm genuinely gobsmacked by that statistic. :eek:

power pants

bear1 wrote: »

An airbag is a fad?

Absolutely, don’t really see the point in them

I opt to use a crash helmet and fire protective suit when daily driving

DaveyDave

Someone I know was hit head on when an oncoming car veered into their lane, wrote off their 5 series as a result.

They were left with face and hand burns, I haven't seen many posts about burns but I hear it's common?

CJhaughey

DaveyDave wrote: »

Someone I know was hit head on when an oncoming car veered into their lane, wrote off their 5 series as a result.

They were left with face and hand burns, I haven't seen many posts about burns but I hear it's common?

The airbag is actually an explosive device, it doesn't use compressed air to inflate.
As a result the gases are hot when they expand and will burn your face which has sensitive skin.

zilog_jones

Airbags are usually deployed along with seatbelt pre-tensioners, which can cause bruising. Still better than the alternative though...

MetzgerMeister

If airbags deploying can burn your face you'd be in right trouble if your eye was damaged :eek: