KIA Magentis 2006 - Manual (Page 54)

3-45
The air bags will completely inflate
and deflate in less than 1/10 of one
second.
The speed of inflation and deflation
protects the driver’s ability to operate the
vehicle. This is important in crashes
where a vehicle continues to move after
an impact and the driver still has some
control of the vehicle’s steering, braking,
throttle and/or transmission systems.
It is virtually impossible for you to see
the air bags inflate during an accident.
It is much more likely that you will
simply see the deflated air bags hanging
out of their storage compartments after
the collision.
In order to help provide protection in a
severe collision, the air bags must inflate
repidly. However, that speed also causes
the air bags to expand with a great deal of
force. The speed of this inflation has been
determined by the Canadian Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) to
reduce the likelihood of serious or life-
threatening injuries and is thus a
mandatory part of air bag design.
Thus, air bag inflation could also cause
injuries which normally can include facial
abrasions, bruises and broken bones.
However, there are even
circumstances under which contact
with the steering wheel air bag can
cause fatal injuries, especially if the
occupant is positioned excessively
close to the steering wheel.
YOU MUST ALWAYS SIT AS FAR
BACK FROM THE STEERING
WHEEL AIR BAG AS POSSIBLE,
WHILE STILL MAINTAINING A
COMFORTABLE SEATING POSITION
FOR GOOD VEHICLE CONTROL, IN
ORDER TO REDUCE THE RISK OF
INJURY OR DEATH IN A COLLISION.
AS2B03033
Steering wheel air bag
WARNING - Air Bag
Injuries
• Sit as far back from the
steering wheel as possible
without interfering with your
control of the vehicle.
Positioning yourself too close
to the steering wheel can
result in serious or even fatal
injuries if the air bag deploys.
• Never place objects over the
air bag storage compartments
or between the air bags and
yourself. Due to the speed and
force of the air bag inflation,
such objects could hit your
body at high speed and cause
severe bodily injury and even
death.
MS-CNA-Eng 3.QXD 7/25/2005 5:17 PM Page 45