We all know that Air Bags saves lives, but here are some things you might not know:
- They deploy thanks to chemistry. The impact of a crash generates an electric signal, which ignites an explosive. That heat sets off a chemical reaction, which produces gas to fill the air bag.
- The entire process take place in 1/20th of a second. That's faster than the blink of an eye.
- When fully inflated, a driver-side air bag is about the size of a large beach ball. Passenger-side bags can be two to three times larger.
- Hitting a curb hard can activate an air bag. Since the sensors measure deceleration, anything that suddenly and unexpectedly significantly slows down or stop your vehicle can activate the bag. but even the hardest braking generates only a fraction of the force necessary to activate an air bag.
