Why is it okay for cars to have a metal logo on the steering wheel even if the wheel has an airbag? isn’t it a safety concern?
In: Technology
The airbag container is designed/perforated so it rips a specific way, leaving the emblem attacked. It’s usually not metal, but chrome plated plastic. Safety is a major design factor in airbag systems, and the engineers just don’t let some designer put something dangerous in the system.
The safety hazard from the (likely plastic) emblem is not terrible, but not zero
Mazda logo branded on my forearm from where the airbag deployed.
byu/yellowyellowleaves inmildlyinteresting
Even though there might be something on the airbag like a car’s emblem, airbags are designed to go off in a way where that emblem isn’t an issue.
If you’ve ever taken apart a car or been in a serious accident that needed them, you’ll know that airbags are usually pretty ugly. They’re blue or gray pieces of fabric that don’t really match with the interior colors of most cars. So, manufacturers will cover them with plastic to hide how ugly it is and to protect the fragile airbag itself.
All of the plastic that covers an airbag is specifically designed to let the airbag do its thing without becoming a hazard itself. The plastic that covers your side curtain airbags is designed to break in such a way where it will fly away from any people if the airbag deploys. The same is true with a steering wheel. The plastic cover, including the emblem, over the airbag in your steering wheel is designed to split apart in such a way that the airbag is really effective without that cover ever getting in the way.
It’s a bunch of really clever engineering that saves a ton of lives!
Had a low speed accident that popped the airbags, I had a nasty bruises on my thumbs. When the airbag deploys, that part of the steering wheel rips open and gets pushed to the side, since it’s still attached. The airbag rushes toward your head and all that extra leather gets swung toward your hands. In fact, the only injury from that accident was my hands getting hit by the flaps from the steering wheel.
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