1995 Buick Riviera Owner's Manual - Page 33

How does an air bag restrain? In moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions, even belted occupants can contact the steering wheel or the instrument panel. The air bag supplements the protection provided by safety belts. Air bags distribute the force of the impact more evenly over the occupant's upper body, stopping the occupant more gradually. But air bags would not help you in many types of collisions, including rollovers and rear and side impacts, primarily because an occupant's motion is not toward the air bag. Air bags should never be regarded as anything more than a supplement to safety belts, and then only in moderate to severe frontal or near-frontal collisions. What will you see after an air inflates? bag After the a r bag inflates, it quickly deflates. This occurs i so quickly that some people may not even realize the air bag inflated. Some components of the air bag module in the steering wheel hub for the driver's air bag, or the instrument panel for the right front passenger's bag, will be hot for a short time, but the part of the bag that comes into contact with you willnot be hot to the touch. There will be some smoke and dust coming from vents in the deflated air bags. Air baginflation will not prevent the driver from seeing or from being able to steer the vehicle, nor will it stop people from leaving the vehicle. In m y crashe.s severe enough to M a t e an air bag, windshields are broken by vehxle deformation. Additional windshield breakage may also occur from the right. front passenger air bag. 1-22