The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin -ARnews-

air bag hazards (post crash)

Wilt Nelson ([email protected])
Sat, 14 Nov 1998 15:40:15 -0500 (EST)

Questions and concerns have been raised by 1st responders and investigators who crawl around crash vehicles as to potential hazards of undeployed air bags. These are real and genuine concerns and NHTSA has attempted to answer them in a small brochure titled, "Emergency Rescue Guidelines for Air Bag Equipped Vehicles." DOT HS 808 519, dated April 1997
Post crash, a non-deployed air bag system has the potential to sense and deploy regardless of the condition of the vehicle's battery. The air bag systems contain a capacitance device that holds a charge of electricity capable of firing the bags if the vehicle's battery were to die or be destroyed in a crash. The NHTSA document lists the manufacturers air bag deactivation times by mdoel years, which vary from 10 seconds to 20 minutes. Presumably this pamphlet will be updated as the manufacturer's air bags change.
If you are going to work around an air bag car you should be concerned about the explosive force and 200 mph speed of the air bag and send for this information.
Wilt Nelson
Wilt Nelson
[email protected]

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