[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by ravib

Thanks so much for sharing this useful info @procrj. Truly appreciated !
IIRC, I have read in other threads in TBHP that it is mandatory to wear seat belts in order for SRS Airbag to deploy (atleast in modern cars).

Aren't we getting mixed information ? Or Am i missing something.

I met with an accident last March in my i20 Asta. Because it was not a frontal impact, airbags did not get deployed, but we all walked out safely due to seat belts. However, when i dropped the car in Hyundai garage, i saw another i20 which had complete damage all the way till windshield due to head on collision. But the steering wheel was intact and Airbags didn't deploy because the driver was not wearing seat belts. This is my personal experience and confirmed by Hyundai service advisor.

-Ravi

That is incorrect. Airbags always deploy regardless of whether an occupant is wearing a seatbelt. I don't believe any manufacturer disables them if seatbelts are not worn. Sometimes airbags do not deploy due to various factors. They are not foolproof. There are countless instances reported where the airbags failed to deploy across all manufacturers and countries. It has nothing to do with seatbelts.

In any case, it is better to hit a soft airbag compared to impacting a hard steering wheel or windscreen. It is another story that a non belted person can slide off the airbag and hit other parts of the car. Of course it is imperative to wear seatbelts at all times.

[Jeroen]

Here is an interesting article from Honda. It also mentions what happens when the seat belts are undone. On these modern cars the deployment time for the airbag differs, but it will still deploy.

https://www.honda.ca/Content/honda.c...SRSSystems.pdf

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by vjkamal

....This may or may not trigger the restraint systems depending on case to case......This is again, very subjective.

Thank you vjkamal, for clearing up a moot point - however as you have clarified above, the discretionary nature of applying available technology (left to the policies of the car makers) is rather a case of safety chauvinism. After going through the thread, I for one will continue having misgivings about the efficacy of this system as it stands at present.

[audioholic]

Sharing some bits from my side from the material I have:





For our markets where most of the small cars have only twin airbags, it is the same at the input side except for the impact sensors which are absent at the sides and the outputs to the side and curtain airbags are absent. The backup capacitor shown in the block diagram is used to ensure that if the crash causes the battery power to be cutoff to the airbag system, the system will still work for a while until the capacitor discharges. This is usually around 5-10s after the battery power is cutoff, which is enough for the airbag circuit to do its job, store DTC and freeze frame data safely.

[subuiyer]

Keen to know to what the extent the safety systems in vehicles sold in India are adapted to our anthropometry (size, shape, even weight).

For example, a quick search on the Internet tells that average Indian male is at least 15 Kgs lighter and 6 inches shorter than their US counterparts, and even 5-7 Kgs lighter and 2 inches shorter than their Brazilian/Argentinian counterparts. This difference is likely to be of significance in the crash dynamics.

Any insights on how these global test bodies ensure their crash dummies are closely representing the average Indian will be helpful.

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Sharing some bits from my side from the material I have:........The backup capacitor shown in the block diagram is used to ensure that if the crash causes the battery power to be cutoff to the airbag system, the system will still work for a while until the capacitor discharges......

Thanks audioholic, that is a most re-assuring bit of information! Even tho' air-bag deployment failures have been hitting the headlines with regularity in the recent past, it is re-assuring that certain bits of the system have been designed with due diligence. I still feel that the sensors (accelerometer/g-force sensors) could be designed with a greater degree of fail-safe reliability & sophistication. Smart phones do have very sensitive g-force sensors, but perhaps they are too fragile & delicate for the robustness needed for automotive use.

[vjkamal]

Originally Posted by subuiyer

Any insights on how these global test bodies ensure their crash dummies are closely representing the average Indian will be helpful.

Talking only about the regulatory testing, most of the countries require the standard Hybrid III 50% dummy for the frontal impact tests. This dummy represents an average American adult male occupant that weighs around 78 kg and is 5 feet and 9 inches tall. In addition to this, US and EU require Hybrid III 5% dummies to comply with the criteria. This dummy represents an average American adult female occupant that weighs around 50 kg and is 5 feet tall.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_III

For India, the regulation that will be followed is AIS098 which is indeed based on ECER94. This demands the tests to be done only with Hybrid III 50% dummy. As far as I know, there are no dummies designed purely based on an average Indian's anthropometry. However, some OEMs perform tests internally with different seat positions/ dummies to understand how the vehicle fares at different conditions.

[balenoed_]

A quick question. I have extensively searched all over, but not finding a concrete answer.

An Innova of my friend's relative met with an accident. The car jumped the divider and rolled over. No frontal impact at all. The front airbags did not deploy. It does not have side air bags.

Will the front air bag deploy only if there is a frontal impact? Won't the front sensors just detect the sudden deceleration and activate the front airbags?

[Tanveer02]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

A quick question. I have extensively searched all over, but not finding a concrete answer.

An Innova of my friend's relative met with an accident. The car jumped the divider and rolled over. No frontal impact at all. The front airbags did not deploy. It does not have side air bags.

Will the front air bag deploy only if there is a frontal impact? Won't the front sensors just detect the sudden deceleration and activate the front airbags?

Please refer to this post by Saket77. In this post he clearly highlights upon some facts which may act in the process of an airbag not deploying during an unfortunate incident. Go through the entire thread as well

[CivicheadUAE]

Dear Forum Members,

I own a 2018 Honda Pilot here in the UAE. The car comes with 8 Airbags (including the ones that are on the driver's and passenger's seat). My car comes with Fabric seat covers, and I wish to get Leather/Leatherite seat covers (either pull on ones, or customised) on the car to enhance the look.

My question is
a. Is it advisable to put seat covers on cars that have seat based airbags?
b. if yes, are there special seat covers available for the same?

Thanks

Bharat

[procrj]

Originally Posted by CivicheadUAE

Is it advisable to put seat covers on cars that have seat based airbags?

Its not advisable to use any kind of seat covers if you have seat based airbags. Even if the dealer offers it, I would personally steer clear of it as you never know how it will impact deployment.

[xtremeshock]

A very nice thread, just came across this when I was curious to know how Air-bags are deployed to explain to mu son. I have to admit that I am not technically adept to understand all the details share in the post but it does give me a fair idea.

Just curious, do any companies make Air Bag Control Units in India or are they all imported from China like every thing else.