India: Airbags are considered to be the most important safety feature in a car to protect passengers in road accidents. But, many times this feature also takes people’s lives. Recently, an accident happened in Navi Mumbai, where an innocent six-year-old child lost his life due to an airbag. When the airbag opened after a collision between two cars, the six-year-old child’s neck was hit hard, causing serious injuries and he died on the spot. This incident raises the question whether airbags can be dangerous for your children too? Today we are going to know about it in detail. First of all, let’s understand what an ‘airbag’ is. An airbag is a balloon-like cover, which is usually made of strong cloth or fabric such as polyester. It is designed with special material to keep passengers safe in case of an accident. It acts like a safety cushion in a car. This system gets activated as soon as there is a collision or collision with the vehicle.
Airbag is also called Supplementary Restraint System (SRS). As soon as the accident occurs, the nitrogen gas already present in the SRS system is filled in the airbag. This entire process takes place in a few milliseconds. After this, the airbag inflates and provides safety to the passengers by giving them good cushioning.
The holes provided in the airbag expel the gas after the airbag opens. In this entire process, the strength of the body of the vehicle is also taken care of, so that in case of an accident, the person sitting in the car does not suffer much damage and the vehicle itself can withstand maximum danger, for this the body of the car is made of strong metal.
The speed at which the airbag will open is determined by the Airbag Control Unit (ACU) based on the severity of the accident. In case of an accident, the crash sensor (accelerometer) sends a signal to the airbag control unit. This control unit activates the inflation device, which ignites the mixture of sodium azide (NaN3) and potassium nitrate (KNO3) filled in the airbag, which produces nitrogen gas.
According to the details given on the official website of Clemson University, South Carolina, the time between the detection of the accident and the full opening of the airbag is about 0.015 seconds to 0.050 seconds, while the speed of the airbag is 300 km/h. The normal time for the airbag to open is about 30 to 50 milliseconds. The process of a normal car accident takes about 120 milliseconds. Blinking takes about 100 to 150 milliseconds. The average person blinks 14 to 17 times a minute. While using a computer or reading something, this rate slows down and a person blinks 4 to 6 times a minute.
However, this incident in Navi Mumbai is a warning to all those who carelessly seat small children in the car. Children are seated in the car according to their age. For example, small children should never be seated in the front. Because their body parts are delicate and in case of an accident, the opening of the airbag can be dangerous for them.
Correct position of seating children in the car according to weight and size:
Children weighing less than nine kilograms should always sit in the back seat. They should sit facing the rear and be secured in an ISOFIX child seat.
You can seat a child weighing 9 to 18 kilograms in a forward-facing seat. Do not forget to use ISOFIX child seats for such children as well.
Children weighing more than 18 kilograms should be seated facing forward in a booster seat and use a shoulder and lap seat belt.
Children who are 63 cm (about 2 feet) or taller while sitting, you can make them sit on your lap by placing the seat belt on their shoulders.
If you are using an external car seat for children, place it in the correct position. If he is a newborn, do not place him next to the airbag.
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