77DRIVING-
FRONT AIR BAGS
These are folded in the centre of the
steering wheel for the driver and in
the fascia for the front passenger.
They are deployed simultaneously,
except in cases where the passen-
ger air bag is disarmed, in the event
of a serious front impact applied in
the impact zone A in the longitudinal
centreline of the vehicle, on a hori-
zontal plane and from the front of the
vehicle towards the rear. The air bag
i n fl a t e s b e t w e e n t h e f r o n t o c c u p a n t o f
the vehicle and the fascia to cushion
his forward movement. The air bags
therefore limit the risk of injury to the
head and chest.
The air bags have been designed to
maximise the safety of the occupants
in the event of serious collisions. They
work in conjunction with the force-lim-
iting seat belts. The electronic detec-
tors register and analyse any abrupt
deceleration of the vehicle in the im-
pact detection zones (see diagram):
if the triggering threshold is reached,
t h e a i r b a g s i n fl a t e i n s t a n t l y a n d p r o -
tect the occupants of the vehicle.
Impact detection zones
A. Front impact zone.
B. Side impact zone. Immediately after the impact, the air
b a g s d e fl a t e r a p i d l y s o t h a t t h e y d o
not hinder the visibility of the occu-
pants nor their exit if necessary from
the vehicle.
The air bags are not deployed in the
case of minor impacts, rear impacts
or in certain roll-over conditions. The
s e a t b e l t i s s u f fi c i e n t t o e n s u r e m a x i -
mum protection in these situations.
The seriousness of a collision de-
pends on the nature of the obstacle
and the speed of the vehicle at the
moment of the collision.
A i r b a g s o n l y o p e r a t e w h e n t h e i g n i -
t i o n i s s w i t c h e d o n .
Note : the gas escaping from
the air bags can be a minor
irritant.
