Anyone been in a car crash where the airbag deploys?

[moshquerade]

?

Can you recall any sounds or how it felt when it went off, etc?

I was driving. Man turned in front of me. I swerved to avoid a head on. Hit along the side of his truck and then into a telephone poll. Air bag went off and sounded like a gun shot (my ears were ringing afterward due to how loud it was). It burned by face. Left a few spots of "road rash" and ripped my sunglasses off my face so hard that they cut me if several places.

Then there's this cloud of powder that settles. At least I think it was powder.

How's that for a description? And why do you ask?

No, I'm not an idiot. I actually know how to drive without crashing.

what if someone hits you? D:

 

[PowerEngineer]

Airbags really haven't proven to really save lives. It's awesome for manufacturers.

While I have heard others tell stories like yours about air bags increasing damage and/or injury fir minor fender-benders, there's little doubt that in serious accidents air bags often save people's lives and prevent serious injuries.

One Saturday several years back my daugther decided to ram our 1996 Camry into a tree. The Camry was totaled, however the driver's side air bag most certainly saved her from serious injury. The air bag hit her so hard that she blacked out for a few seconds (which also allowed her to conveniently claim not to remember how she ended up hitting the tree). Her face was a bit puffy and red with some "rug burn" (all courtesy of the rapidly expanding air bag), and her wrists were bruised (apparantly the air bags can blow out hard enough to break wrists when the driver is clentching the steering wheel). She was otherwise uninjured and was back in school on Monday.

One of my neices was driving on a country road with three friends in her Honda Civic when a pickup truck (driven by an old man with obviously limited vision) pulled out directly in front of her. The Civic struck the driver's side rear tire head on and was deflected off the road into a ditch. The Civic was totaled, but thanks to the air bags (including curtain air bags) no one was hurt. In fact, they all managed to get another ride to the concert they had been headed to.

 

[KaOTiK]

The only thing I remember is the dust that covers the bag itself, man I felt like I was coughing up a lung trying to get out of the car. That was the worst part of the actual crash lol.

I had my seatbelt on but I have no doubt it probably saved me a lot of pain, was hit head on

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

I was driving. Man turned in front of me. I swerved to avoid a head on. Hit along the side of his truck and then into a telephone poll. Air bag went off and sounded like a gun shot (my ears were ringing afterward due to how loud it was). It burned by face. Left a few spots of "road rash" and ripped my sunglasses off my face so hard that they cut me if several places.

Then there's this cloud of powder that settles. At least I think it was powder.

How's that for a description? And why do you ask?



what if someone hits you? D:

Most accidents are avoidable, even if they aren't your fault.

People just don't pay attention on the roads, so they don't see the idiot change lanes without looking.

Situational awareness. Always know what every car around you is doing. Keep clear of idiots and women.

 

[moshquerade]

Most accidents are avoidable, even if they aren't your fault.

How do you suggest I avoided that accident?

People just don't pay attention on the roads, so they don't see the idiot change lanes without looking.

The idiot who hit me was in the oncoming lane and turned in front of me to go into his driveway.

Situational awareness. Always know what every car around you is doing. Keep clear of idiots and women.

the idiot who turned in front of me was a man.

You need to back off your generalizations that if just by being a defensive driver it will allow everyone to escape all accident situations.

 

[RocksteadyDotNet]

How do you suggest I avoided that accident?


The idiot who hit me was in the oncoming lane and turned in front of me to go into his driveway.

the idiot who turned in front of me was a man.

You need to back off your generalizations that if just by being a defensive driver it will allow everyone to escape all accident situations.

I said most situations, not all.

 

[JS80]

I got into a bad enough accident that the air bag should have deployed. But I braked so "hard" that the front of the car dipped so low that when I crashed my front bumper was below the rear bumper of the front car and it never activated the air bag.

 

[moshquerade]

I said most situations, not all.

thank you for granting me your exception.

 

[bobdole369]

Can you recall any sounds or how it felt when it went off, etc?

I was quite drunk. (0.25BAL) I do recall looking right at teh airport and then the sound of impact, which was mostly glass breaking and scraping. I hit the median on I-95 not far north from FLL going roughly 85mph.

I distinctly recall a gunshot and that was the point where I think I actually realized the car was crashing and I was no longer driving. It flipped and cruised on the roof for some time. I was the only victim and I learned my lesson during the next 2 months in traction and rehab for my broken pelvis, ankle, elbow, internal intestine damage, and severed thumb.

I also remember burning on my face and powder everywhere.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Had the one in the steering wheel deploy in a accident back in 06' I saw the impact coming so I braced my arms against the wheel and the airbag didn't hit me it was just suddenly there in my face. I don't remember a sound other than the impact

 

[bobdole369]

My brother was in a very similar accident to mosh's. He was not driver, but passenger. Caravan turned directly in front of him from right edge of road (driveway), he was in rightmost lane. Driver turned right to avoid, tapped the rear of the caravan and slammed at 40ish into a telephone pole. Valiant effort to avoid pole was in vain.

He also had face - rawness, and reported a gunshot along with choking powder.

 

[RockinZ28]

I just remember seeing the windshield crack all over, then looked over and saw the passenger airbag had deployed. Drivers was faulty, not that I needed it, was wearing my seatbelt and didn't even jerk me forward from the impact.

My other crash I was not wearing my seatbelt, think they don't deploy if that's the case in some vehicles? Anyway, broke the windshield with my noggin. Impact snapped my front axle. Surprisingly had no injuries whatsoever.

 

[Cerb]

My face was heading towards the ring of the steering wheel, and it sounded like a loud snap&pop. I got burns on my hands from the airbag popping. None of this powder that others have talked about. The airbag was 17 years old, too. Not bad at all.

 

[thomsbrain]

The bag in my S2000 sounded like a gunshot firing in the middle of the larger boom of the car hitting the hillside. It blasted my hat off and my sunglasses were blasted over the windshield and onto the hood of the car. I had a very minor abrasion on my forehead, either from the heat of the bag or my hat. Even with the top down, the interior was filled with smoke from the bag, especially after I pushed it back down.

Everything did its job (except me, moments before).

 

[xSauronx]

?

Can you recall any sounds or how it felt when it went off, etc?

dont recall the sounds, and i wasnt going fast enough when i hit to actually hit the airbag myself

but jesus those things smell terrible

 

[Rubycon]

They are quite strong indeed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fa37qEfvLM&

 

[tfinch2]

Hit a deer in a Chevy Metro going 30-35 MPH and the airbags deployed on both sides. It burned my wrists and bruised my chin. My wife's reaction was to stick her arms out. The airbag broke both of her arms, a total of 5 bone breaks.

 

[jlfirehawk]

After 15 totalled cars, most recent a F350 box truck hit my 4 runner head on but on the corner first so air bags didnt go off but when they do the dust gets in your eyes etc and they do scrape skin off if you hit fast enough.
Edit If you are 6'2" and longer yours knees will still eat the dash with them going off.

 

[beach2nd]

After 15 totalled cars, most recent a F350 box truck hit my 4 runner head on but on the corner first so air bags didnt go off but when they do the dust gets in your eyes etc and they do scrape skin off if you hit fast enough.
Edit If you are 6'2" and longer yours knees will still eat the dash with them going off.

WTH does your insurance premium look like after that?

 

[jlfirehawk]

This is over the course of 18 years, and my body has paid the price on my 15th surgery I got am worth more dead with titanium then alive lol. This recent accident was the first in years but yeah not real cheap insurance. Had to have my record expunged when I turned 18.

 

[DougK62]

I had an airbag deploy on me from an 89 Volvo. Knocked me out cold.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Airbags really haven't proven to really save lives. It's awesome for manufacturers.

It reduces injuries, if not saving lives. How do you prove a negative.

We had a 09 Ford Exhibition make an illegal left turn in front of our '08 Explorer.
We were going just under 40mph and T-boned at the passenger door area.

I can recall the crash impact, the white airbag deploying.
When I recovered to shut off the engine, the interior was filled with dust and the acrid smell. I worried that the vehicle was on fire. Wife was complaining how her chest hurt.

Went around the vehicle and pried the door open with the EMTs.
They had to board her into the ambulance, I was able to walk.My glasses had been knocked off and were found in the back seat.


Both of us feel that the airbags prevented us from mashing our face against the dash/windshield.

I ended up with sore ribs; nothing broken.
Wife had ribs on her left side (where seat belt connected) cracked.
Her sternum was cracked (punch from the airbags).

 

[Fear No Evil]

After 15 totalled cars, most recent a F350 box truck hit my 4 runner head on but on the corner first so air bags didnt go off but when they do the dust gets in your eyes etc and they do scrape skin off if you hit fast enough.
Edit If you are 6'2" and longer yours knees will still eat the dash with them going off.

Umm. Ok. Thanks for making my insurance premium higher.

 

[SearchMaster]

I got into a bad enough accident that the air bag should have deployed. But I braked so "hard" that the front of the car dipped so low that when I crashed my front bumper was below the rear bumper of the front car and it never activated the air bag.

I had the opposite experience. A lady in front of my did a full on panic stop (for no real reason) at ~50mph and I was unable to avoid hitting her. By the time we impacted I was probably going 5mph but the panic stop had her rear bumper up in the air and my front bumper low....the mechanic said my airbag should not have deployed but her bumper hitting the airbag sensor in front of my car triggered it.

It all happened too fast to really remember the airbag impact but my wife was none too pleased, especially since otherwise it was a pretty minor fender bender.

 

[jlfirehawk]

FYI Most of my accidents have been deer involved somehow or another and even test drives of cars that ended up having an issue that caused it.