1993 Pontiac Bonneville Owner's Manual - Page 27

Seats & Safety Belts How the Air Bag System Works (CONX) Q: How does an air bag restrain? Q: What will you see after an air bag inflation? A: In moderate to severe frontalor near-frontal collisions, even belted A: After the air bag has inflated, itwill occilpants can contact the steering then quickly deflate. This occurs so wheel or the instrument panel. The quickly that some people may not air bag supplements the protection even realize that the air bag inflated. provided by safety belts. Air bags The airbag will not impede the distribute the force of the impact driver's vision or ability to steer the more evenly over the occupant's vehicle, nor will it hinder the upper body, stopping the occupant occupants from exiting the vehicle. more gradually. But air bags would There will be small amounts smoke of not provide protection in many types coming from vents in the deflatedair of collisions, including rollovers and bag. Some components of the air bag rear and side impacts, primarily module in the steering wheel hub for because an occupant's motion is not the driver's air bag or the instrument toward the air bag. Air bags should panel for the passenger's bag may be never be regarded as anything more hot for a short time, but the portion than a supplement to safety belt of the bag that comes into contact protection in moderate to severe with you will not be hot tothe touch. frontal and near-frontal collisions. The nitrogen gas used to inflate the m m . air bag will have vented into the passenger compartment, and bag the will be deflated within seconds after the collision. Nitrogen makesup about 80%of the air we breathe and is not hazardous. As the nitrogen vents from the bag, small particles are also vented into the passenger compartment. In many crashes severe enough to inflate an air bag, windshields may be broken by vehicle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may occur in vehicles with passenger air bags because the windshield acts as a reaction surface for the inflating air bag. 26