- airbag system with gas generators;
- electrical system with shock sensors and a fault diagnosis module.
Pic. 1.143. Mazda 3 SRS system: 1 - shock sensors and diagnostic module (SAS); 2 - side impact sensor; 3 - gas generator and airbag; 4 - front impact sensor; 5 - gas generator and airbag; 6 - side impact sensor
Airbags are installed on the car in the following places: steering wheel hub, front panel (on the right side), front seat backs (from the side of the door), front and rear pillars of the body, as well as along the edge of the ceiling above the openings of the side doors. Airbags and inflatable curtains are installed discreetly and are not visible until they are deployed (pic. 1.143).
Front and side airbag systems with up to 6 airbags (the location of the airbags in the car is indicated by the marking «SRS AIRBAG»).
Additional passive safety systems operate independently of each other. If your vehicle is equipped with side airbags and curtain airbags, they will generally not deploy on both sides of the vehicle in the same crash because the vehicle is not often subjected to simultaneous impacts from both sides. Usually, the side airbags and curtain airbags do not deploy at the same time as the frontal airbags in the same accident. The exception is road traffic accidents in which the car is subjected to both frontal and side impacts.
Airbag systems are designed to provide additional passive protection for the driver and front passenger only (in certain types of vehicle collision), as well as passengers sitting in the extreme places in the back seat (only in side impacts). Therefore, the driver and all passengers must always fasten their seat belts while driving.
If you do not fasten your seat belt, the airbags will not provide effective protection in the event of an accident. The fastened seat belt provides the following:
- keeps the driver or passenger from a sharp throw forward into the inflating airbag;
- Reduces the chance of injury in crashes in which airbags are not designed to deploy, such as rollovers and rear-end collisions;
- reduces the likelihood of injury in frontal and side collisions of the car, the force of which is insufficient to deploy the airbags;
- reduces the likelihood of falling out of the car;
- reduces the likelihood of injury to the lower body and legs in a traffic accident (airbags are not designed to protect the specified parts of the body);
- keeps the driver in a position that allows better control of the vehicle.
If the child is too tall to use a seat belt, seat and secure the child in a child restraint.
Carefully select the child restraint that fits your child. Follow the instructions in this book and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions for installation.