Field data (NASS) analyses showed that 0.9 % of frontal airbags deployed in motor vehicle collisions sustained at least one type of damage. Crash investigators often need to determine whether a damaged airbag inflated in a timely manner to provide occupant protection during the crash. This study provided a comparison of physical evidence from the restraint system and the seat resulted from high-speed frontal impacts with and without airbag deployment. Evidence of an airbag deployment event was collected from a real-world vehicle crash, in which the airbag was found damaged at the scene. A sled test was conducted with an 80 km/h delta-V in an exemplar vehicle to demonstrate the occupant loading evidence on vehicle components when the airbag was absent in a crash of the same severity as the real-world crash. In the test, the load limiter was activated and provided webbing spool out until bottoming out, severe abrasions and markings occurred on the seatbelt webbing and the D-ring, and the seat bottom deformed downward. These occurrences were absent in the real-world crash, suggesting that the frontal airbag was inflated in a timely manner and absorbed occupant’s kinetic energy during the high speed frontal impact.

现场数据 (NASS) 分析表明，在机动车辆碰撞中部署的正面安全气囊中，有 0.9% 至少遭受了一种类型的损坏。碰撞调查人员通常需要确定损坏的安全气囊是否及时充气以在碰撞过程中为乘员提供保护。这项研究提供了来自约束系统和座椅的物理证据的比较，这些证据来自有和没有安全气囊展开的高速正面碰撞。安全气囊展开事件的证据是从现实世界的车辆碰撞中收集的，其中安全气囊在现场被发现损坏。在示例车辆中以 80 公里/小时的 delta-V 进行了雪橇测试，以证明在与现实世界碰撞严重程度相同的碰撞中没有安全气囊时，车辆部件上的乘员负载证据。在测试中，限载器启动，织带卷轴伸出直至触底，安全带织带和D形环出现严重磨损和痕迹，座椅底部向下变形。这些事件在现实世界的碰撞中是不存在的，这表明在高速正面碰撞过程中，正面安全气囊及时充气并吸收了乘员的动能。