Accidents and Airbags

[jamdub]

Dear fellow dubbers:

Have any of you been in an accident in either a mkiv or mkv VW where the airbags should have deployed but did not? Please either post a response or pm me details about your incident. the reason for this is because in the past week i have had two friends get into major accidents where the airbags should have deployed but did not. thanks.

 

[tongefactor40]

what kind of cars were they in?

 

[jamdub]

mkiv gti and mkv gti

 

[bcze1]

Were your friends hurt?

 

[Understeer'd]

I was in a horrible accident in a MKIV (a friends car) and I was T'd up at like 65-70mph~. Being hit from the side, the airbags didn't deploy. The GTI spun like 4 times and came to rest on a curb, my friend and I walked away without a scratch. The Saab that hit us was totaled, part of the motor came through and knocked the radio into the cabin. Having a large impact to the front, her airbag deployed and she also walked away without a scratch. Thank God (or something) she was in a Saab, even though she was going over a hill through an intersection at 75 in a 45 while on the phone.

And that's one main reason I got the GTI.

E: I'm really sorry about your friends...I can still feel that jolt. Were they hurt and was there frontal impact?

 

[jamdub]

Both walked away, luckily. And both were front impacts.

 

[bcze1]

Both walked away, luckily. And both were front impacts.

So it seems that there was no need for the airbag to go off. SRS systems take thousands of inputs into account when determining whether or not one should blow. Due to the fact there is risk of injury from the airbag itself, they can break arms, burn face and chest, etc they only deploy when truly necessary.

Honestly, if your friends are fine they should thank they're lucky stars they didn't blow. Second degree burns on your face aren't fun.

 

[jamdub]

I don't agree with you, any head-on collision at 45 mph should trigger an airbag. Yes, he was lucky, but the airbag should have popped at the very least. In case you didn't read the original post, I am not interested in any theory about airbag deployment, only taking an account of people who have had accidents where they think the airbag should have popped but did not. So, if you have a story, please share.

 

[bcze1]

I don't agree with you, any head-on collision at 45 mph should trigger an airbag. Yes, he was lucky, but the airbag should have popped at the very least. In case you didn't read the original post, I am not interested in any theory about airbag deployment, only taking an account of people who have had accidents where they think the airbag should have popped but did not. So, if you have a story, please share.

Its not a theory its a fact. Just because YOU think they should have deployed does not make it so. I'm trying to explain to you some of the factors that are taken into account by the system when it decides the best course of action for the occupants. Airbags are not dumb (anymore). Impact speed, angle, abruptness of actual stopping, occupants weight, distance to the steering wheel, seatbelt use, etc. are factors. You can choose to not accept these facts. But again, the proof is in the fact that your friends walked away from the accidents.

 

[MURFDAWG]

This may be somewhat off topic but before the days of air bags my wife and I were in a 77 Rabbit and were hit headon by a full and i mean FULL size 72 {or so]Ford Galaxy at 40 vs 40 and we walked away without a scratch. I exited the car with the rim of the steering whell in my hand. Car was fixed and never the same but it saved our lives. I tell this story often to people who say "why do you drive such a small car?"

 

[bennylenny88]

in my mkv i bounced off a curb grinded the underside of my car on a barrier and none of my airbags went off.

 

[RedRabidRabbit]

Dear fellow dubbers:

Have any of you been in an accident in either a mkiv or mkv VW where the airbags should have deployed but did not? Please either post a response or pm me details about your incident. the reason for this is because in the past week i have had two friends get into major accidents where the airbags should have deployed but did not. thanks.

I don't agree with you, any head-on collision at 45 mph should trigger an airbag. Yes, he was lucky, but the airbag should have popped at the very least. In case you didn't read the original post, I am not interested in any theory about airbag deployment, only taking an account of people who have had accidents where they think the airbag should have popped but did not. So, if you have a story, please share.

How do you know this?

I have to side with bcze on this one. The engineers designing these systems know what they are doing. What one "thinks" is a completely irrelevant. Your friends were not hurt, so what is the problem?

 

[jamdub]

I am not on any side here, I just want to hear people's accounts of what has happened to them. So if anyone wants to share, go right ahead.

 

[bwoodahl]

I don't agree with you, any head-on collision at 45 mph should trigger an airbag...

Speed is not the most important factor. It's the derivative of the speed that is the leading factor as to whether (or not) the airbags deploy. As an example, a collision with a haystack at 60 MPH may not trigger, whereas a collision with a concrete wall at 20 MPH may trigger.

 

[b6s42mkvgti]

Well I recently got into a accident, i hit the right rear end of the other with my front. My driver side airbag deployed, i was going around 30mph. I walked away with only a few scratches on my arm from the airbag deploying on my forearm. Here are some pics. (note the red stiching in the airbag, tight :biggrin: