How Serious Does a Car Accident Have to Be for Airbags to Deploy?

If you’ve been in an accident and noticed your airbags didn’t deploy, you’re not alone. Many accident victims are confused about when airbags should activate, and this confusion can have profound implications for your personal injury claim. Insurance companies often use airbag deployment (or lack thereof) as evidence of how severe your accident was, potentially affecting the compensation you receive.

The reality is that airbag deployment is controlled by sophisticated sensors that consider multiple factors beyond just speed. Understanding these factors can help you build a stronger case if you’ve been injured in a collision.

When you are involved in a car accident and suffer significant injuries, your first step is to contact the Scranton car accident lawyers at Munley Law. The consultation is free, and we do not charge a fee unless we win your case.

At What Speed Do Airbags Deploy?

Airbags deploy when your vehicle hits something head-on at speeds between 8 and 14 miles per hour. However, the exact speed depends on several factors, such as the angle of impact, where the car was struck, and your car’s sensor calibration.

When Should Airbags Deploy in an Accident?

Airbags should deploy only when your car’s sensors detect a genuine crash-level impact, not from everyday driving events like hitting a pothole, braking hard, or going over a speed bump. Sensors placed throughout the car constantly monitor for sudden deceleration and trigger the system only when that deceleration crosses the threshold for an actual collision.

Once the sensors cross that threshold, they send a signal to the electronic control unit, which acts as the igniter for the airbag system. Frontal airbags are built into the steering wheel for the driver and the dashboard for the front passenger, positioned to meet the body on impact. A chemical reaction inside the airbag system, involving sodium azide and potassium nitrate, produces the nitrogen gas that inflates the bag.

That inflation creates a cushion between you and the car’s hard surfaces, reducing the head and chest trauma a crash would otherwise cause. Airbags are designed to work alongside seatbelts, not instead of them, since a seatbelt keeps you positioned correctly for the airbag to do its job.

Do All Airbags Deploy in an Accident?

No, not every car accident can trigger an airbag to deploy. Airbags are built to respond to specific types of impacts.

A minor fender bender at low speed won’t trigger deployment, even if it leaves real damage on the car, because the crash doesn’t reach the moderate-to-severe threshold airbags are calibrated to detect.

Rear-end collisions often don’t trigger the front airbags at all, since those airbags are designed for frontal impact, not for being struck from behind.

And in a rollover, deployment depends on whether the vehicle even has rollover-sensing curtain airbags, which not every model does.

That range matters if you’re evaluating a claim. A crash can be serious enough to cause a real injury without ever meeting the exact threshold that triggers a given airbag.

Car Accident Airbags Deployed

Airbags save lives, but the same force that keeps you off the dashboard and windshield can leave injuries of its own. An airbag inflates in a fraction of a second, fast enough that the force alone can cause harm. That same speed is what causes airbag injuries.

Most airbag injuries land in four places: the face, chest, wrist, and forearm:

• Facial injuries range from bruising and abrasions to fractures around the eyes, nose, or cheekbones.
• Chest injuries usually come from the force of the bag against the ribs or sternum, and in more serious crashes, can involve internal trauma.
• Drivers gripping the steering wheel at the moment of impact are especially prone to wrist and forearm fractures because the airbag deploys directly into their hands.

Airbags can also cause burns. Thermal burns come from the heat of inflation, and chemical burns can come from the propellant that produces the gas that fills the bag. These burns don’t always show up right away. Symptoms can develop thirty to ninety minutes after the crash, which is why they’re sometimes missed during an initial ER visit.

If your airbags deployed in a crash, it’s worth getting checked even if you feel fine at the scene. Some of these injuries take time to surface. A medical record close to the date of the crash also helps if you end up filing a claim.

How Fast Do Airbags Deploy?

Which airbags deploy also depends on the direction of the impact, not just its severity.

For a frontal impact, the front airbags deploy to protect you from hitting the steering wheel or dashboard.

In side-impact collisions, side airbags deploy to shield you and the passenger from severe injuries caused by hitting the car doors or windows.

Airbag manufacturers design these systems to work in conjunction with seatbelts, providing maximum safety benefits. Seatbelts keep you in place, while airbags cushion the blow.

By understanding the direction of the collision, the airbag system can deploy the appropriate airbags to protect you effectively, minimizing the risk of severe injuries.

Why Didn’t My Airbags Go Off During My Car Crash?

If your airbags didn’t deploy, it usually comes down to one of a few things. The impact may not have been severe enough to reach the moderate-to-severe crash threshold that triggers a frontal airbag, especially in a rear-end or low-speed crash. A side-impact collision only triggers the side or curtain airbags on that side of the car, not the front airbags. And if your engine was off at the time of impact, the airbags won’t activate at all, since the system needs power to detect and respond to a crash. That’s true even if you’re rear-ended while parked.

Sometimes the reason isn’t about the crash itself. A torn airbag, a failed sensor, a wiring issue, or a manufacturing defect can all prevent deployment in a crash that should have triggered it. If you suspect a defect caused your airbags to fail, you may have a product liability claim if you were injured from a failed airbag deployment. All drivers need to have trustworthy safety features in their vehicles. These features are meant to protect you in the event of an accident, and when they fail, the consequences can be deadly.

If you have suffered injuries, contact Munley Law to discuss your product liability claim for a defective product. Our product liability attorney and truck accident lawyers understand the importance of safety and can help ensure you receive the support and compensation you need.

Airbag Deployment

Yes, airbag deployment can impact your car accident claim. When airbags deploy during a vehicle crash, it indicates a significant impact, which can support your case when dealing with an insurance company. Our experienced car accident attorneys can help you understand how this affects your claim. Airbag deployment may help prove the severity of the accident, potentially leading to higher compensation for medical expenses and other damages.

However, if the airbags didn’t deploy, it could raise questions about the severity of the crash or potential defects in the airbag design. An accident attorney can help investigate these issues and argue for your case.

Additionally, if you had a previous accident where airbags were deployed, it might affect how the insurance company views your current claim. The benefit of airbags is that they provide additional protection, reducing the risk of catastrophic injuries, which can also influence the outcome of your claim.

Request a Free Consultation with Car Accident Attorneys at Munley Law

If you were injured in an accident in which your airbags deployed, the Pennsylvania car accident attorneys at Munley Law can fight to recover the financial compensation you deserve. To arrange a free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible, call, chat, or email us today to schedule a free consultation.