Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site eneevax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!petrus!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!ut-sally!seismo!umcp-cs!eneevax!hsu From: hsu@eneevax.UUCP (Dave Hsu) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.auto Subject: Re: airbags [LONG response] Message-ID: <480@eneevax.UUCP> Date: Sun, 12-Jan-86 00:52:44 EST Article-I.D.: eneevax.480 Posted: Sun Jan 12 00:52:44 1986 Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jan-86 08:19:45 EST References: <294@frog.UUCP> <408@gcc-milo.ARPA> <761@unc.unc.UUCP> Reply-To: hsu@eneevax.UUCP (Dave Hsu) Distribution: net Organization: Imperial Widget Research Center, Kingdom of Maryland Lines: 73 Keywords: The Real Deal. Xref: watmath net.politics:12933 net.auto:9057 Summary: My, we reference a lot of articles, don't we? In article <431@gcc-milo.ARPA> john@gcc-milo.UUCP (John Allred) writes: >In article <1006@ihlpa.UUCP> ibyf@ihlpa.UUCP (Scott) writes: >>Wait a minute, the air bag doesn't come out until you hit something, and if >>you don't want you "skills" and "reactions" obscurred by the bag, where >>were your "skills" and "reactions" to keep you out of the accident in the >>first place. Sorry guys, No validity in that argument. Try again! > >Come now, Sir Addison. Although my skills and reactions are good, they will >not keep me out of every possible accident. The other guy's action has much to >do with whether I can avoid him or not. > >The situation that I was thinking of, where I didn't want a bag in my face, >was this: after violently maneuvering to avoid an accident, I am faced with >a situation where I must hit something. So, I choose to hit the lesser of the >evils with a glancing blow. Presumably, I will still keep some forward motion, >and I will have to control the vehicle after the accident. The bag in my face >will significantly reduce my ability to control my vehicle. >-- >John Allred Ok folks, time to straighten a few things out. First, a few preliminaries. I DON'T believe that airbags should become mandatory for the same reason I don't believe we should force people turn the power off before playing with high voltages: those who are smart, will, and those who are stupid, become extinct. I do believe that airbags are effective, though, (and only when wearing a seat-belt) and that there should are no reasons that anyone has posed to me yet that I should even consider disabling them should they be installed in my car. Ok, on with the details. Firstly, contrary to the beliefs of a lot of you, your airbag will not go off if a malicious kid kicks your bumper, nor will it go off just as you see an accident developing. Nor will it go off if you slam your brakes, hit a pothole, drive over a speed bump, or if you slam your hood. Don't think that you're the first to consider these ideas, automakers have been trying to propose reasons for the last 15 years. As a result, most airbag systems employ 4 to 6 sensors (two in the very front of the car, two more in the dash, occasionally two more in the rear) and all of these systems require a combination of sensors to fire to weed out false alarms. Also, they won't pin you to your seats. Airbags are designed to inflate upon head-on impacts over 12 mph. The plastic bag touches only your chest, NOT your head or neck (from a proper seated position) and is arranged only to prevent you from being flung into your steering wheel. Observe that if you fail to wear your belts, the airbag WILL NOT prevent you from going through the windshield at substantial velocities as it is only anchored at the hub of your steering wheel. Along the same lines, they WON'T keep you stuck to your seat. In fact, airbags are designed to deflate within 45 milliseconds of inflation, which is to say, somewhat faster than most of you can react to the airbag's detonation. So by the time your brain has registered that the bag has been fired, it's already a collapsed piece of plastic. You'd much better be worried about the impact fractures you recieve if you lock your arms and legs than from any percieved injury you'll get from an airbag. Remember people: use your belts and your head, and you'd better have a better reason than the ones you've rehashed before you consider disabling your airbags. -dave "why-are-there-so-few-believers-in-airbags-who-may-someday-become- customers-for-my-friends-at-the-rescue-squad" hsu p.s. There are many sources of information on airbags, and almost all modern driver's education classes require students to view films concerning current safety equipment including airbags. Refer to the September '84 Discover magazine for a quick overview on page 8. And clean up those myths. -- David Hsu Communication & Signal Processing Lab, EE Department University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 hsu@eneevax.umd.edu {seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!eneevax!hsu CF522@UMDD.BITNET "Buckle up." "Hey, let's all be careful out there."