5 Things You Shouldn’t Do In A Car With Airbags | The Deadly Sins

Now that Indian consumers are well aware of the centrality of safety features in a vehicle, OEMs are working out ways to top their entire inventory with standard and advanced safety features. And an integral component of vehicle safety is an airbag. No matter what the segment is, airbags are the first thing you look for. But do you know that when you drive a vehicle with airbags onboard, there are certain things that you shouldn’t do? So if you are wondering what these things are, read on.

1. Resting your feet on the dash

   

   No matter how soothing it might sound, relaxing with your feet on the dashboard is a complete no when you are driving a vehicle with a passenger-side airbag. This is because to deploy an airbag, and a small explosion usually takes place. While this may sound like something that’s not a major problem, in practicality, this explosion is such that it can break and/or permanently damage your legs. In fact, there have also been cases where passengers have lost their legs due to deployment explosion directly impacting their feet, which they thought of resting on the dash.

2. Not wearing seat belts.
   

   

   Whether or not airbags are involved, driving without the seatbelt is inviting trouble, especially in a vehicle with airbags. In several vehicles, airbags deploy only and only when the seat belt is fastened. Moreover, in case of a crash, seatbelts prevent the free fall of occupants, which, if not prevent, can lead to fatal outcomes and even death.

3. Installation of Bullbars
   

   

   It is a known fact that sensors that deploy the airbags in case of a crash are placed in front of the vehicle. Upon impact, these sensors instruct the airbag module to deploy the airbags. Here, it is important to note that the airbag deploys only in crashes where these sensors are impacted. Thus, by installing bullbars, it is possible that the airbags do not deploy at all due to the sensors not taking the impact, or in some cases, the deployment can also be delayed/hampered due to the bullbar.

4. Seating Infants in the front without turning off the Airbags
   

   

   Most modern vehicles come with ISOFIX child restraints at the rear to safely seat the kids when it comes to infant and child safety. However, there are still several vehicles that do not offer ISOFIX, yet they offer airbags. This is because airbags deploy with a massive force that can push the infant away, proving deadly. In such cases, seating infants and children at the front without disabling the passenger airbag can lead to serious injuries.

5. Sitting too close to the steering.
   

   

   When it comes to driver safety, the air bags are installed inside the steering. However, despite this fact, many drivers habit sitting too close to the steering wheel. In such a scenario, the explosion involved in the airbag deployment can seriously injure the driver’s face. Moreover, with the driver being too close to the steering, it is also possible that the proper inflation of the airbag is hindered.

   So these were 5 things you should NEVER do when driving a vehicle with airbags. Stay pinned to the GoMechanic blog for everything automotive.

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