69 DRIVING
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FRONT AIRBAGS
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 airbag 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 airbag
infl ates between the front occupant of
the vehicle and the fascia to cushion
his forward movement. The airbags
therefore limit the risk of injury to the
head and chest.
The airbags 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,
the airbags infl ate instantly and pro-
tect the occupants of the vehicle.
Impact detection zones
A.
Front impact zone.
B.
Side impact zone. Immediately after the impact, the
airbags defl ate rapidly so that they
do not hinder the visibility of the oc-
cupants nor their exit if necessary
from the vehicle.
The airbags are not deployed in the
case of minor impacts, rear impacts
or in certain roll-over conditions. The
seat belt is suffi cient to ensure maxi-
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.
Airbags only operate when the
ignition is switched on.
Note
: the gas escaping from
the airbags can be a minor
irritant.
