(Photo credit: Hector Alejandro/Flickr)
Cars have safety features in place to protect its occupants during an accident. Airbags are one of the features that prevent occupants from feeling the brunt of the impact when hitting another object.
Recently, car manufacturers Honda, Nissan and Mazda recalled vehicles around the world due to possibly defective airbags by Japanese company Takata Corp. Honda recalled vehicles produced between 2000 to 2005, Nissan recalled vehicles produced between 2001 to 2003 and Mazda recalled vehicles produced between 2002 to 2004.
BMW recently followed suit by recalling vehicles between 2000 to 2006 for the same issues.
While no accidents have occurred, the recall of about three million airbags was taken as a precaution. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received complaints last August that airbags failed due to high humidity levels in two places, Puerto Rico and Florida, according to CBC News. In these cases, the airbags ruptured and occupants were injured by the abnormal impact.
Airbags essentially cushion the impact by acting as soft pillow for us to land on. All cars are required to have airbags in the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle and they provide protection to passengers. Children may want to sit in the front, but they should remain in the back, unless they’re older than 12, since they’re more likely to be severely injured during an accident, a spokesperson with Parachute Canada told the Globe and Mail. Sometimes when an airbag is triggered, it can injure the child. While there are no laws requiring parents to prevent their kids from sitting in the front, it’s for their own safety to sit behind. (Also, children can be more distracting while sitting beside you.)
Also, airbags aren’t meant to deploy in all accident situations. For example, if you hit a curb, you don’t want the airbag to deploy. Manufacturers make decisions on when airbags should deploy, which is based on the speed change of the vehicle, the weight of the object hit, the hardness of the object and the amount of impact the vehicle faces. Before an airbag will deploy, the seatbelts should tighten to keep you snug in your seat.
If you are concerned about your airbags, contact your car’s manufacturer or get in touch with Transport Canada for any information about recalls or defects.
Drivers have a right to feel safe in the vehicles they operate and they should feel confident all safety features are fully functional to handle a worst case scenario. The personal injury and accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers have been dealing with all product liability issues throughout Ontario for over 45 years. We know how to get you the compensation that you deserve and get your life back in order after being in a motor vehicle accident. Accident benefits are available to drivers, regardless of who caused the accident. Call us at 416-920-4242, set up a free consultation, and come speak with us.