HONDA 2012 Insight - Manual (Page 34)

After inflating, the front airbags
immediately deflate, so they won’t
interfere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
During a frontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the front airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inflate within a split second of each
other, it is possible for only one
airbag to deploy.
This can happen if the severity of a
collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s rapid
deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will inflate
the driver’s and front passenger’s
airbags, at the time and with the
force needed. Only the driver’s airbag can deploy if
there is no passenger in the front
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger’s
airbag off (see page
).
The total time for inflation and
deflation is less than a second, so
fast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.
35
How Your Front Airbags Work
Additional Information About Your Airbags
28