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In this series
you will find a complete in-depth study of:
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How these system work
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What makes them work
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The dangers they present us
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How they affect our rescue efforts and
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The unique EMS concerns involved in their deployment
Note: We also have a study of the adverse use
of airbag systems for law enforcement. For safety concerns these are not made public. They can be obtained by contacting us
direct.
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| Courtesy of Toyota |
Our objectives is to provide first responders with
the most comprehensive, up to date, information on today's supplemental
restraint systems, their components, the dangers they present us and how they affect our rescue efforts.
Today's vehicles are
the safest they have ever been.
However; as automotive technologies increase,
so do the problems,
dangers
and challenges for rescuers.
Today, in the US, we face an average of six airbags per vehicle
as standard equipment, two of which are dual stage, along with options for as many as twelve per vehicle. Depending on
the types used, these twelve can be located in sixteen different positions. In other countries they have as high as twenty
two airbags per vehicle and some of these will be introduced in the US in the near future. These operate in conjunction
with seat position sensors, occupant position sensors, weight sensors, seat belt tensioners, seat belt tension sensors, and
on and on, all of which present their own unique challenge for the rescuer.
In our studies, we hope to raise an awareness of the many
new technologies found in today's vehicles, the dangers they present to us, and the desperate need for a change in our training.
Though rare in our field
Accidental Airbag Deployment
is a reality
Don't Let This Be You!
click here to play video
Electrical shut down
and
the
5 - 10 - 20 Rule
They are not an option!
By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com
August 24, 2007
It
was a pleasant evening and a nice conversation. A young woman and her boyfriend were sitting in a nearly-brand new 2006
Honda Civic.
The driver started the Honda, shifted the transmission into reverse,
the passenger door closed and the Honda airbags exploded into the faces of the two young people sitting
in the front seats.
That is the stuff that the ConsumerAffairs.com Lemon of the Week award was designed
to honor.
Rosemary, the mother of the young woman driving the Honda Civic, told us that
daughter's boyfriend “was talking to his brother, his brother closed the passenger side door and the airbags went off.”
“Honda first said the airbags went off because the door was shut too hard,”
Rosemary told ConsumerAffairs.com. “Then they said it was an immaculate deployment and they don't know why they went
off.
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