Dual
Stage Airbags:
Computer-operated dual deploy or dual-stage airbags. These
airbags can deploy at two speeds, or not at all, depending
on information sent to the computer from sensors located
in the seatbelts and front seats. In less severe accidents,
airbags deploy at the lower first stage, usually about
70 percent of full force. In more severe accidents, both
stages are deployed. Seat sensors in some systems also
can detect the weight of passengers and deploy only if
the occupant is above a certain weight - helping to prevent
airbag-related injuries to a child or small adult. NHTSA
required these air bags in all vehicles by 2005.
Side
Airbags:
Effective in preventing the driver and passengers from
head injuries due to the rigid areas of the vehicle in
side impact collisions. There are three designs of these
airbags, a tubular airbag that inflates from the roof,
a curtain design that employs from the roof or an airbag
deployed from the seat, inflating forward and up.
On-Off
Switches:
Many vehicles now come equipped with an airbag shut-off
switch to decrease the injury potential to a child or
small-stature adult.
Passenger
Sensing System:
Designed to help reduce the potential for inflation-induced
injuries or fatalities to smaller occupants, including
children, who may be seated improperly in front of an
active air bag. This advanced air bag system uses sensors
in the seat to collect information that helps the air
bag computer determine whether the front-seat passenger
air bag should inflate in a frontal crash. The sensors
gather information on the occupant's weight and the type
of pressure placed on the seat to help determine whether
there may be a smaller occupant present who may be at
greater risk of injury from a deploying air bag. The system
also uses a passenger-side belt sensor to measure how
much tension is exerted by the seat belt when latched,
another means of determining what may be on the seat.
