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Safety
Airbag system
Brief intr
oduction
Intr
oduction
Front airbags have been installed for both
driver and passenger. The fr
ont airbags can
also protect the chest and head of driver and
passenger if the seats, seat belts head re-
straints and, for the driver, the steering wheel
are correctly adjusted and used. Airbags are
considered as additional safety equipment.
An airbag cannot replace the seat belt, which
must be worn at all times, even in front seats
where front airbags have been installed.
The airbag can protect vehicle occupants in
the event of an accidents, cushioning the
movement of the occupants in the direction
of the collision in frontal and side accidents.
Deployed airbags fill with a propellant gas.
This causes the airbag covers to break and
the airbags to deploy extremely quickly in
their entire deployment space within frac-
tions of a second. When an occupant with the
seat belt properly fastened puts pressure on
the inflated airbag, the propellant gas es-
capes to absorb the force of the impact and
slow the movement. This reduces the risk of
severe or fatal injuries. Airbag deployment
does not mean that other types of injury such
as swelling, bruising and skin injuries can be
ruled out. Upon deployment of the airbag,
friction can cause the generation of heat.
Airbags do not prot
ect the arms or the lower
part of the body.
The most important factors for triggering the
airbag are the type of accident, the angle of
impact, the vehicle speed and the character-
istics of the object the vehicle hits. Therefore,
airbags are not triggered every time the vehi-
cle is visibly damaged.
The activation of the airbag system depends
on the magnitude of the deceleration of the
vehicle caused by a collision, which registers
through an electronic control unit. If the de-
celeration magnitude value is below the ref-
erence value programmed in the control unit,
the airbags will not deploy even though seri-
ous damage might be caused to the vehicle
as the result of an accident. Damage suf-
fered by the vehicle, reparation costs or ab-
sence of damage suffered from the accident
are not indications of whether an airbag
should have been deployed. Due to the vary-
ing nature of collision situations, it is impossi-
ble to define a speed range of the vehicle
and reference values. For this reason, it is not
possible to cover all types of collisions and
collision angles resulting in the deployment of
the airbag. Factors necessary for the airbag
to be deployed can be, the characteristics of
the object (hard or soft) against which the ve-
hicle collides, the collision angle and the ve-
hicle speed.
Airbags act in conjunction with the three-
point seat belts in certain accident situations,
when the vehicle deceleration rate is severe
enough to trigger the airbags. Airbags only
deploy once and only under certain circum-
stances. Seat belts remain present to offer
protection in situations where airbags are not
triggered or where they have already de-
ployed. For example, when a vehicle hits an-
other after an initial collision or is hit by an-
other vehicle.
The airbag system is an integral part of the
car's passive safety system. The airbag sys-
tem can only work effectively when the vehi-
cle occupants are wearing their seat belts
correctly and have adjusted the head re-
straints properly
›››
page 49.
WARNING
Never exclusively trust the airbag system
as a means of protection.
●
Ev
en when triggered, airbag protection is
only auxiliary.
●
The airbags provide the best protection
when the seat belts are properly fastened,
thus reducing the risk of sustaining injuries
›››
page 53, Why wear a set belt.
●
Before each trip, every occupant must sit
properly, correctly fasten the seat belt be-
longing to his or her seat and keeping it fas-
tened throughout the trip. This rule is valid
for all vehicle occupants.
60
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