Airbag Functionality in Car Crash Accidents
In car crash accidents, airbags play a crucial role, possessing multiple key functions that can provide effective protection to occupants inside the vehicle.
Buffering protection is one of the main functions of an airbag. When a car crashes, the vehicle will suddenly decelerate, and occupants due to inertia will continue moving forward. At this moment, the airbag will rapidly inflate and expand in extreme short time, forming a soft buffer layer between the human body and interior hard components (such as the steering wheel, instrument panel, and windshield). For example, in a frontal collision accident, the driver's front airbag will pop out promptly, significantly reducing the impact force on the driver's head and chest, thereby decreasing the severity of injuries.
Shock-absorbing is also an important function of airbags. The design of airbags can evenly distribute the shock force produced by a collision to a larger area of the human body, rather than concentrating it at a single point. For instance, side airbags can rapidly deploy and distribute the impact force to the chest and abdominal areas of passengers when the vehicle is struck from the side, thereby reducing the likelihood of rib fractures, internal injuries, and other severe harm.
Preventing secondary impacts is also non-negligible. After a collision occurs, occupants may be subject to secondary impacts due to the vehicle's oscillation or rolling. The airbag can provide certain blocking effects after deployment, reducing the likelihood of these secondary impacts. For example, in a rollover accident, the head airbag can prevent passengers' heads from colliding with the windshield, car top, and other components, protecting their head safety.
Table below compares the injury probability for occupants with and without airbags:
| Situation | Head Injury Probability | Chest Injury Probability | Abdomen Injury Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| With airbag | Reduced by approximately 60% | Reduced by approximately 50% | Reduced by approximately 40% |
| Without airbag | High | High | High |
In conclusion, the buffering protection, shock-absorbing, and preventing secondary impacts functions of airbags in car crash accidents significantly reduce the risk of injury to occupants inside the vehicle and improve their survival rate. Therefore, when selecting a car, the configuration and performance of airbags are essential factors to consider.