How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.

Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety belts by distributing the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's body.

But airbags would not help in many types of collisions, primarily because the occupant's motion is not toward those airbags. See When Should an Airbag Inflate? for more information.

Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts.

    See also:

    Cornering Lamps
    For vehicles with this feature, the cornering lamps come on when: the headlamps or parking lamps are on, the vehicle is not in P (Park), and you signal a turn with the turn signal/multifunction ...

    Dolly Towing
    The vehicle can be towed using a dolly. To tow the vehicle using a dolly, follow these steps: 1. Put the front wheels on a dolly. 2. Put the gear shift lever in P (Park). 3. Set the parking bra ...

    Glove Box
    Lift up the handle to open the glove box. It contains a pen holder and a coin holder. ...