Every month, thousands of drivers and passengers across Ireland will walk away from road accidents that a few decades ago would have caused serious injuries, or a possible fatalities. The reason is the development of air bag safety technology, something that involves a tiny explosive device, compressed gas and a sophisticated nylon bag. If sensors detect an impact the system ignites and the bag inflates at 332 kph, much faster than the car is travelling, to protect the vehicle occupants. The whole process is over in a fraction of a second, but each year saves many lives. Just about every modern car is now fitted with airbags to protect the driver and the passengers in the event of an accident. In broad terms front airbags reduce the risk of fatalities in serious accidents by about 30%, so it is vital that these important safety devices are in perfect working order at all times.
Air bags, sometimes known as supplementary resistance systems (SRS) provide resistance and cushioning should a car be involved in a collision. Originally, airbags were introduced at the front of the car, generally in the steering wheel or dashboard to provide protection for the head, torso, and neck. Having proved their effectiveness with front-on collision impacts, more recently bags have been added to roofs, seats and side panels to provide protection against different types of accident. Some cars also have knee airbags and centre airbags to avoid the possibility of driver and passengers hitting each other in an accident. Each airbags is connected to a control unit which is in-turn is connected to vehicle sensors. When the sensors detect a likely collision the airbags are deployed in micro seconds, inflating, before deflating to provide cushioning.
If your car has been involved in an accident and the airbags have been deployed, then it is essential that these airbags are professionally replaced and reset once the vehicle is repaired. If this does not happen the airbags system will not work and this will greatly increase the danger faced by the driver and passengers should the vehicle be involved in another accident. Generally failure to replace airbags correctly will result in a dash warning light illuminating, although in some instances, unscrupulous repairers have been known to illegally by-pass these lights.
At Ashmore Ryder we have many years experience in dealing with vehicle airbags and our expert team will always ensure that airbags are replaced as required. We will also reset the airbag system and carry out a diagnostic scan to ensure it is working correctly. In this way you can be sure that all airbags are working correctly and are available to provide future protection as and when required.
Ashmore Ryder is fully committed to your safety and the safety of your passengers. If you should be involved in a accident please contact Ashmore Ryder first to ensure that you can have your car repaired to the very highest quality and safety standards. Please call us on 01-6684997, or call in for an estimate.