The dangers of over-reliance on air bags
Air bags for the driver and passenger seats in the Lexus LS600h. [JoongAng Ilbo]
Experts say the best safety system is fastening one’s safety belt and driving at an appropriate speed.
As for air bags, some still believe that they should open immediately on impact, while others in the automotive industry argue that the immediate inflation of air bags is not a safety solution.
On June 29 this year, a young driver behind the wheel of a German import crashed into another car. No one was critically injured or killed in the accident, but the driver complained to the automaker that the air bag didn’t inflate despite the damage to the vehicle’s hood.
The company said it is normal for the air bags not to function under such circumstances, i.e., when the hood was impacted and not the bumpers. In this case, the front of the vehicle went down because the vehicle stopped suddenly.
According to the Korea Consumer Agency, there were 37 consumer complaints about air bags between July and August this year. More than 90 percent of the complaints concerned air bags that failed to inflate when the vehicle crashed.
The carmakers say a driver could actually be burned and bruised in a light impact crash since air bags use gunpowder to inflate. That’s why the air bags are deployed only in serious crashes. In fact, they won’t open if the car is hit from behind, when on a slope or if the impact comes from the top or bottom.
Also, air bags inflate only when the vehicle is going at a certain speed during a braking period. To prevent the air bags from inflating, vehicles are installed with a G-sensor that calculates acceleration.
In addition, experts say it is more dangerous to rely entirely on air bags and not buckling up.
“Air bags are secondary safety systems,” said Yeo Tae-jeong from the research and development team of Hyundai Mobis.
Anti-lock brakes, which prevent a vehicle from skidding, is another safety device drivers over rely on. The system is meant to prevent a vehicle from sliding, but drivers often think that using the brakes will prevent critical injuries since the system makes it easier to stop quickly.
“In more than 90 percent of cases anti-lock brakes do shorten the braking distance, but it could be extended if the driver brakes on an uneven surface,” Yeo said.
By Lee Seung-nyeong [ojlee82@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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