Will the airbag serve its function during an accident, if you fail to fasten the seatbelts?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
B. No, if the airbag opens, this will expose you to head or spine injuries.
Explanation
In the photo the airbag has shot out of the steering wheel, and the driver's seat belt is hanging unfastened by the pillar. Without a fastened seat belt the airbag will not do its job, and its explosion may cause head or spine injuries - the answer is B.
The Road Traffic Act requires the driver of a motor vehicle and the people carried in it to use seat belts while driving, if the vehicle is equipped with them. The airbag is only an addition to the seat belts: it fills in a fraction of a second at a speed of over 200 km/h and is designed to slow down a body that the seat belt is already holding. Without a seat belt, the driver flies forward with their whole weight and hits the airbag before it has fully opened - they may break their nose, injure their neck or slide under it. That is why answers A and C are wrong: these are not independent systems, and the airbag does not replace the seat belts. In the cab of a lorry, the obligation to wear seat belts applies in the same way.
Legal basis: Art. 39 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)