Car maintenance isn’t only about extending your vehicle’s lifespan. It is also about ensuring its performance is as good as possible, and its safety features are more than ready to protect you should an accident occur. One of these maintenance routines revolves around ensuring one of the most critical safety features in the car is ready to kick in to save your life: airbags.
Many people take airbags for granted, mainly because these safety systems are hidden until they are needed. However, these airbags have come a long way from the airbags of early vehicles to the airbags of today. New technologies have created more reliable and safer airbags, reducing car-related casualties and overall created a safer driving environment.
That being said, to ensure that you are making the most out of your car’s airbags, here are the things you should know:
1. They Are Not Meant for Kids
While designed to protect passengers in the case of an accident, Airbags aren’t designed for all passengers. Children aren’t supposed to be subject to an airbag, and in some circumstances, airbags can kill kids. This is mostly in areas where adults should be, such as the driver’s seat. If you have kids in the car, always have them in the back seat. Leave the front seats to the adult, and only allow the kids in front if they meet the weight and age requirement!
2. They Are a One-Time-Use Thing
Airbags weren’t designed to activate multiple times throughout their use. It is meant to be activated once, then replaced. They are much like helmets, where you need to replace helmets if you get into an accident and the helmet has suffered an impact. With that in mind, if you do need to get your airbags replaced, have them installed by a professional. This will ensure the airbags are properly installed, ready to protect you should another accident occur.
3. They Are Built to Be Far from You
You aren’t supposed to be an inch or two away from the airbags when they activate. In fact, these first two inches are the most dangerous place to be in front of an airbag. Rather, you’re supposed to be around 10 inches away from the steering wheel. This is because airbags are designed to inflate at the precise time to cushion the impact while you’re face is traveling forward into it. As such, if you feel like you’re too close or too far from the steering wheel, readjust your seat and check your recline levels to ensure that the 10-inch mark is met.
4. They Work Better with Seatbelts
Contrary to popular belief, airbags perform much better with a seatbelt. While they alone can provide some cushion in an accident, they are meant to work with the seatbelt to keep you safe. As such, whenever you are driving the car, don’t rely only on the airbags. Never think about replacing your seatbelts with airbags. You should always put on your seatbelt to maximize your chances of escaping a car accident alive.
Conclusion
We hope you realize what it takes to ensure your airbags work for you and not against you with all of these facts in mind. On that note, if you’ve ever been in an accident or see your dashboard notifying you that there’s a problem with the airbag system, send the vehicle in for professional mechanics to have it checked. Any problem with your vehicle’s safety system will leave you at risk of unnecessary or avoidable injuries, and you’d want to make sure that they kick in when they’re supposed to!
Safety Restore is the world’s leader in post-accident restorations, focusing on seat belt repairs and airbag module resets. If you are looking for an airbag module reset service, reach out to us today!
