Airbags / Accident

[pwop Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pwop]

I haven't posted here for a while. My wife drove my Prado yesterday and - doing about 100km/hr - left the road (don't ask) and hit a signpost just about in the middle of the ARB bull-bar. The car spun around a few times, nearly tipped over and came to stop in the mud between two roads. The bullbar is quite dented and impacted on the front of the vehicle.

The surprising thing is that none of the airbags opened up. Is that how it should be????

Pieter

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

Yeah you wouldn't really want them deploying in that situation. Would do more harm than good.

Well, that's my opinion on the information you've given anyway.

[MDSimpson Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MDSimpson]

I would guess, unless the signpost came close to stopping forward motion of the car, the bags would not deploy.
If the car flattened the signpost and kept moving, this could be why.

Agree with Wooley, you don't want those suckers going off unless they really have to...

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Only a sign post so I would say it wasn't enough to trigger the airbag sensors, you can swing off those things and bend them (depending on size) so not enough force I would say. The side airbag/curtains wouldn't go off unless your wife hit some thing side on or some thing hit her again with enough force to trigger. Surprised it bent the bullbar ?? But probably saved the bonnet etc from been damaged. Main thing is the wife is ok and not hurt in anyway, I'm sure she's shaken herself up a bit. Maybe the stability control kept her upright. Not sure on her circumstances but I always tell the wife not to swerve for nothing unless its semi heading for her, if its anything else, dog, another car side swipe it but never swerve at freeway speeds especially as our 120 doesn't have stability control/traction or side airbags only abs and dual front airbags or the odd one when she's in the passengers seat lol...... As long as the other half is all ok is the main thing..... Cheers Steve

[Ozpat Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ozpat]

I would have thought an impact strong enough to dent the steel bar should have triggered the airbags especially if there's damage to front of vehicle. But I suppose as the impact lasted just a millisecond or two as the post gave way, may not be the case. Different to a head-on with a semi.

[pwop Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pwop]

Thanks. My wife was completely unscathed. The bullbar has a deep dent where it hit the pole - right in the centre and it just touched the camera, broke its seal and cracked the grille slightly. I am sure the stability control kept her upright, and the mud slowed things down as well.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

The airbags are trigger by accelerometers and I doubt the deceleration even came close to setting the bags off. Quite a few car makers actually jerk the car backwards to test the bags rather than crush the front of the car.

Good news that your wife was ok.

Good advice not swerving for animals, a work colleague swerved at 100 kph to avoid a rabbit and ended up in a ditch with the car a complete write off. Few weeks in hospital and passenger in for longer with a broken back. Bunny hopped on to its next liaison.

[chester ver 2.0 Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester ver 2.0]

as above it is not what you hit but if it is solid enough to trip the acelorometors in the front of the car and there is one under the seat.

I would say a sign post yes hitting it would have dented the bar but you deceleration would not have been enough to trip the air bag system. She is bloody lucky it was a sign post and not a powerpole as that would have tripped them for sure