Buick Regal: How Does an Airbag Restrain? - Airbag System - Seats and Restraints - Buick Regal Owners ManualBuick Regal: How Does an Airbag Restrain?

In moderate to severe frontal or near frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. In moderate to severe side collisions, even belted occupants can contact the inside of the vehicle.

Airbags supplement the protection provided by safety belts. Frontal airbags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually.

Seat-mounted side impact and roof-rail airbags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body.

But airbags would not help in many types of collisions, primarily because the occupant's motion is not toward those airbags. See When Should an Airbag Inflate?  for more information.

Airbags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts.

    What Makes an Airbag Inflate?
    In a deployment event, the sensing system sends an electrical signal triggering a release of gas from the inflator. Gas from the inflator fills the airbag causing the bag to break out of the cover and ...

    What Will You See after an Airbag Inflates?
    After the frontal airbags and seat-mounted side impact airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so quickly that some people may not even realize an airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at le ...

    See also:

    Ending a call
    To finish the call, perform one of the following procedures: ● Select the “Hang up” key on the “Call in Progress” display. ● Push the switch on the steering wheel. ...

    Trunk safety warning
    WARNING: Do not allow children to have access to the trunk,either by climbing into the trunk from outside, orthrough the inside of the vehicle. Always close thetrunk lid when your vehicle is unat ...

    Dynamic Drive
    The concept Dynamic Drive reduces the lateral inclination of the vehicle that occurs during rapid driving in curves or during quick evasive maneuvers. Driving stability and driving comfort are i ...