Safety Tips

 Side Impact Air Bags and “Head-Protection System”- Newest Feature

Most new vehicles have come out with side impact air bags as their latest safety feature. Side impact air bags are a great option, slightly smaller than conventional front air bags and deploy much faster. Check to see if the car you are interested in carries these as a standard feature. Remember that you will most likely receive a discount on your auto insurance with these items as well. 

BMW was the first auto maker to offer a "head-protection system" standard in its 1998 5-Series and 7-Series cars made for the United States. Mercedes-Benz and Volvo have similar systems. The BMW system protects front-seat occupants with two types of air bags. A side air bag in each front door protects their bodies; and sausage-shaped air bags in the roof, which will deploy diagonally downward protecting the heads of front occupants. Because side air bags are generally smaller in volume than front bags, and there is less crush space on the sides of a vehicle (compared to the front), they must deploy earlier and stay inflated longer to help prevent ejection. 

Ford features front dual air bags standard on all cars and light trucks sold in North America. Side air bags were made available last year on the ’99 Cougar and Windstar, Explorer, Mountaineer, Continental and Town Car, and on other North American vehicles subsequently. For 2000, the Expedition, Navigator, Lincoln LS, Taurus and Sable will all be equipped with side airbags. Side-impact air bags are becoming increasingly available. Some side air bags are designed for protecting the head and neck, others for hip and chest, and others for chest, head and neck. 

Air Bags- Pros And Cons of Air Bag Safety 

What are they and how do they work?   Air bags are designed to keep your head, neck, and chest from slamming into the dash, steering wheel, or windshield in a front-end crash. Air bags are fabric bags that are filled quickly with a gas to provide supplemental protection for vehicle passengers during some collisions. Typically, air bags are designed to deploy in crashes that are equivalent to a vehicle crashing into a solid wall at 8 to 14 miles per hour. Air bags are most effective in protecting vehicle occupants who are properly belted. One or more sensors detect intensity and direction of vehicle deceleration during a collision. The sensor sends an electric signal to start a chemical reaction that inflates the air bag with harmless nitrogen gas. Air bags have vents, so they deflate immediately after cushioning you. If there is sufficient change in velocity in the direction of protection (frontal or lateral), appropriate air bags are deployed. On impact, air bag systems sense the crash, inflate, and then deflate all in the blink of an eye. They cannot smother you, and they don't restrict your movement. The "smoke" you may have seen in a vehicle after an air bag demonstration is the nontoxic starch or talc that is used to lubricate the air bag. 

Pros for Air Bags

Air Bags have saved many lives and prevented many injuries in motor vehicle crashes
 when combined with lap/shoulder safety belts. Typically, these are very minor in comparison to the injuries that would have occurred if the vehicle were not equipped with an air bag.

NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) had identified five fatalities associated with air bag deployments in crashes of low or moderate severity. Cases like these are so rare that they're studied in detail to determine why the restraints didn't prevent the fatal injuries. 

Danger of Air Bags

You have just had a car accident, which causes your air bag to deploy. You unbuckle your seatbelt and get out of your car only to find just minor damage to both cars. The speed at the time of the impact may have been as little as 10 mph. As if the pain from the contact with the air bag was not enough, now the air bag is going to cost you somewhere between $400 and $1200 to replace. And that is just for the bag; in many cases most of the dash must also be replaced. Other dangers of air bags are small canister of sodium azide that releases nitrogen gas and sodium hydroxide dust. This product is both flammable and toxic. Nitrogen, which comprises 78 percent of the air we breathe, is the gas that inflates air bags. The solid chemical, sodium azide, generates the nitrogen gas by combustion. Sodium azide is in the same class of chemicals as insecticides and is toxic if ingested, but car occupants won't come into contact with the chemical. This chemical reaction causes the air bag to inflate with over 1000 pounds of pressure. During this inflation, the canister heats up to about 300 degrees of temperature. To aid in a smooth release, the air bag is coated with either talc or cornstarch. Once the sensors are tripped, the air bag is triggered in about .05 of a second. The air bag then takes only another .1 of a second more to fully inflate. The next half-second is spent deflating the air bag. At this point you will need to consider the size of the bag. It is slightly larger around than your steering wheel, and will extend back about nine inches to a foot. If your hands are on the steering wheel when it deploys they will probably be knocked off. Consider what may be between you and your air bag, like a cup of hot coffee, your hands, or your glasses. This will be smashed into your body and/or your face. Children and air bags do not mix. Air bags could seriously injure or kill children who are sitting in the front seat. 

Changes Made to Air Bags-

Automakers have already incorporated many design changes into their air bag systems. These include repositioning the vents to direct escaping nitrogen gas away from driver's hands and arms, diminishing the potential for minor burns during deflation. Plus, the shape of the deployed air bag has been modified to avert abrasions, and some deployment threshold speeds have been adjusted upward to prevent inflation at too low a speed. Air bag design is expected to continue evolving as technology improves and experience is gained from crashes. 

Ford’s Rollover Protection System

Although rollovers represent only a small percentage of all SUV accidents, they too often have fatal consequences, particularly when a passenger is ejected from the vehicle. Ford's upcoming Rollover Protection System is the latest example of the company's leadership actions to address. 

Driving Safely

·        For individuals living in snow bound areas, regular maintenance on your car is a must! Cold weather can cause a number of problems from engine problems to battery failure.

·        To avoid these and other mechanical problems, you should have your car inspected for oil, transmission and brake fluid, lube service, wheel alignment and tire pressure, and battery strength.

·        Check on getting a roadside assistance program, such as AAA, or another company you feel comfortable with.

·        Make sure that you are prepared for an emergency, have a tool kit and all the items necessary to change a flat tire. In your tool kit, you should have a good flashlight with plenty of batteries and booster cables. 

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