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:

    Heated Front Seats
    WARNING If you cannot feel temperature change or pain to the skin, the seat heater may cause burns even at low temperatures. To reduce the risk of burns, people with such a condition should use ...

    Setting the Month and Day Format
    1. Press the CONFIG button and select Time and Date Settings, or press . 2. Highlight Set Date Format. 3. Press SELECT to select MM/DD/YY (month/day/year) or DD/MM/YY (day/month/year). ...

    Door Ajar Messages
    DRIVER DOOR OPEN This message will display when the driver door is open. Close the door completely. HOOD OPEN This message will display when the hood is open. Close the hood completely. LE ...