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:

    Navigation System
    If your vehicle has a navigation system, use of the system may result in the storage of destinations, addresses, telephone numbers, and other trip information. Refer to the navigation system ope ...

    Total Weight on the Vehicle’s Tires
    Be sure the vehicle’s tires are inflated to the upper limit for cold tires. These numbers can be found on the Certification/Tire label. See Loading the Vehicle. Make sure not to go over the GVW ...

    Repair Facility
    GM also recommends that you choose a collision repair facility that meets your needs before you ever need collision repairs. Your dealer may have a collision repair center with GM-trained te ...