2005 Honda Civic Owner's Manual - Page 23

Additional Information About Your Airbags How Your Front Airbags Work During a frontal crash, your seat belt restrains your lower body and torso, and the front airbag helps protect your head and chest. Although both airbags normally inflate within split second of each other, it is possible for only one airbag to deploy. This can happen if the severity of a collision is at the margin, or threshold, that determines whether or not the airbags will deploy. In such cases, the seat belt will provide sufficient protection, and the supplemental protection offered by the airbag would be minimal. If you ever have a moderate to severe frontal collision, sensors will detect the vehicle's rapid deceleration. If the rate of deceleration is high enough, the control unit will instantly inflate the driver's and front passenger's airbags, at the time and with the force needed. After inflating, the front airbags immediately deflate, so they won't interfere with the driver's visibility, or the ability to steer or operate other controls. The total time for inflation and deflation is one-tenth of a second, so fast that most occupants are not aware that the airbags deployed until they see them lying in their laps. 22