1997 Chevrolet Lumina Owner's Manual - Page 38

How does anair bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted occupantscan contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel.Air bags supplement the protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But bags would air not help you in many types of collisions, including rollovers, rear impacts and side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward those air bags. Air bags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions. ~ When anair bag inflates, there is dust in the air. This dust could cause breathing problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle should get out soon as itis safe to doso. as If you have breathing problems but can't get out of the vehicle after air bag inflates, then get an fresh air by opening a window or door. What will you see after air bag inflates? an After an air bag inflates, quickly deflates,so quickly it that some people may not even realize theair bag inflated. Some components of the air bag module in the steering wheel hub the driver's air bag, or the for instrument panel for the right front passenger's bag, will be hot for a short time. parts of the bag that come The into contact with you may warm, but not too hot to be touch. There will be somesmoke and dustcoming from vents in the deflated air bags. Air bag inflation doesn't prevent the driver from seeing from being able to or it steer the vehicle, nor does stop people from leaving the vehicle. In many crashes severe enough to inflate air bag, an windshields are broken vehicle deformation. by Additional windshield breakage may also occurfrom the right front passenger air bag. Air bags are designed to inflate only once. After they inflate, you'll need some new parts for your air bag system. If you don't getthem, the airbag system won't be there to help protect you in another crash. A new system will include bag modules and air possibly other parts. service manualfor your The vehicle covers the need to replace other parts. 1-24