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    Airbags an issue

    As an SES member for 21 years, I have attended road accidents, but one recent crash really stumped me. It involved four semi-trailers: one had run into the back of another, then a car-carrying semi ran into the back of the second semi, causing it to be shunted into a fourth semi. The car-carrier hit the rear of the second semi so hard its engine was forced back past the windscreen. Of the 11 cars on the trailer, four were undamaged; six had front-end or roof damage but could be driven; and the remaining car, which was the front car on top, had the worst damage. But no airbags in the cars went off. Why?
    Answered by CarsGuide
    17 April 2003
    CarsGuide team

    None of the cars received a severe enough impact to trigger the airbags. Monash University research shows there is a minimum of $15,000 damage sustained in crashes severe enough to deploy airbags, and 50 per cent of cars in crashes in which airbags are deployed are written off. The closing speed in the crash of the third semi into the rear of the second semi was about half the closing speed had the two semis crashed head-on. That means the energy of the crash was significantly less. And much of that was used up pushing the front of the semi back to the windscreen as well as stoving in the rear of the second semi. As a result, the impact on the cars being transported was much less than that of the semi itself. The impact would also have been lessened by the attachment of the cars to the trailer. Hope that helps.

    Disclaimer: You acknowledge and agree that all answers are provided as a general guide only and should not be relied upon as bespoke advice. Carsguide is not liable for the accuracy of any information provided in the answers.
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