Get the Best Priced Air Bag Clockspring Parts

Tech Tip: 6 Practical Tips to Avoid Common Airbag Injuries

Airbags are designed to protect your head and upper body during a car crash, thus saving your life. However, sometimes they deploy so quickly due to some malfunctions and cause severe injuries instead of protecting you.

Although your airbag is completely functional and doesn’t have any flaw, it can still cause you serious damage, whether you’re in the driver seat or not.

Common Airbag Injuries and Reasons Behind Them

When the airbag deploys after a car crash, your head, arms, neck, and upper body parts come into contact with it leaving those parts susceptible to injury.

Some of the common injuries caused by airbags include chemical burns, asthma attacks, rib fractures, cardiac and pulmonary complications, internal bleeding, eye injuries, among others.

But, why and how can an airbag cause you injury when it’s supposed to save your life?

One of the most common reasons behind an airbag malfunction is having a defective clock spring, which can sometimes make the airbags deploy quickly with huge force.

Apart from that some other factors that can cause an airbag injury are a failure to deploy, improper car seat securing, spontaneous inflation, close proximity to the dashboard, etc.

How to Prevent Injuries

While you may not avoid all accidents, you can actually reduce your chances of injury. The following tips will help you to keep yourself and other passengers in the car safe during a car crash.

Wear Seatbelts

Most of the airbag-related injuries occur when a driver or a passenger is too close to the dashboard.

Wearing a seatbelt can save you from severe injuries and even death when a car crash occurs. It will tighten your head and body from jerking, keeping them away from the area from where the airbag deploys.

Fastening a seatbelt while driving will not only save you from injuries but also save you some hefty fines since it’s a law in almost everywhere across the world.

Check if You Have Faulty Airbag Clocksprings & Repair

Since it’s one of the major causes of airbag injuries, you must always check if this part is working properly and take proper measures. You will start to experience different problems while driving when the clock spring is affected.

Common signs you have faulty clockspring include:

Airbag Light is On

You will find the airbag light on when the clock spring is faulty. It will also cause the entire system to shut down when that happens.

Horn Won’t Work

The horn will simply stop working when there’s an issue with the clockspring. No matter how much you press the horn, it will not comply.

Noise from The Steering Wheel

Whenever you try to turn the steering wheel, you will hear a rubbing noise as if the wheels are getting pressed hard on the road.

Apart from these, the radio, as well as the cruise control switches will stop working, putting yourself at risk while you’re driving. Repair the part immediately if it becomes damaged.

Seat Far Away from The Steering Wheel

Sitting too close to the dashboard can increase your risk of getting severely injured when there’s a car crash or when your car is rear-ended.

That’s why it’s highly recommended that the drivers, as well as the passengers, must sit far away from the dashboard. A good practice is to position the car seat at least 10 to 12 inches away from the steering wheel to lessen the risk.

Install an Airbag On/Off Switch

It’s the law in some states that you must install an airbag on/off switch if you have certain conditions such as a child with a medical condition who needs to be seated in front, or if you are too short and need to sit closer to the steering wheel for driving, and many more.

Even if you don’t have such conditions, installing a switch that lets you control the airbag deployment can save your life in various incidents.

Use Correct Hand Position on The Steering Wheel

Do not use the hand over hand method while turning the wheel since it will make the inflating airbag fling the arms into the rear-view mirror and A-pillar, which may break the arm or wrist.

To prevent this from happening, use the 9 and 3 o’clock hand positions while driving. Also, keep your hands and arms away from in front of the steering wheel.

Avoid Leaning Against The Door

Be careful with your position while driving. Leaning against the door can poorly position you within the shoulder belt - causing serious damage during a car crash. Also, some cars now come with side airbags, meaning that they can cause injury if you aren’t properly positioned.

Conclusion

It’s essential to check each and every part that can cause any potential harm and get them fixed as soon as possible. Also, take certain precautions to reduce the possibility of a serious injury if an accident occurs.

Safe driving!