Modern vehicles have a number of safety features. Starts from seatbelts to antilock breaks, traction control and adjustable headrests. These features are all designed to reduce the physical effects of a collision or other driving incidents. One amongst the safety features is the airbags.
Airbags reduce the head injury by providing cushion-like support to the head and neck during the sudden forward movement. The airbag works as a guard against the direct collision of the head with the dashboard. It also reduces the instances of neck injury by preventing the jolting effect when the head is repelled forward and sharply backward.
But, how does the air-filled bag fitted inside the dashboard of your vehicle make use of these? In a driving school school in St Kilda, you will find it under the guidance of trainers that it relies on a small explosive charge, at the right time. Before we get to know how airbags work, we have to understand why collisions cause the injury, and how the momentum plays a role in it.
The Energy In a Collision:
Energy plays an important role when it comes to driving a vehicle. Being controlled by laws of physics, energy help in moving the vehicles. And, a moving object has both the mass and velocity. Mass defines the object it contains and velocity refers to the speed focusing on a specific direction.
So, when an object has mass and velocity, it also has kinetic energy. Greater the mass and velocity, higher the kinetic energy. And it doesn’t cause any problem until it is moving. It becomes an issue if you stop abruptly or collide with an object.
Similarly, driver, passenger and the vehicle itself have its own mass, and motion of the vehicle gives it the velocity. So, depending on the speed of the vehicle at which the car is travelling, the force of collision will be higher.
How Do the Airbags Work?
Airbags inflate as soon as the vehicle starts to slow down at the moment of the accident. They start deflating, as soon as the driver or passenger head collides with it. These all are possible due to a range of sensors and a small explosion. The presence of accelerometer detects the change in speed.
Upon joining a driving lessons in Burwood East, you will get to know airbags are the supplementary restraint system. Which means thy work along with other safety features like seat belts, and not to rely on them solely. With the correct use of airbags, the head-on collision facilities will be reduced up to 24%.
