Why do airbags make a car safer

In a car crash the car decelerates really quickly. If there is no air bag your head continues to travel at the same speed as before until it hits the dash board and decelerates really quickly upon impact, since Force= mass x acceleration (F=ma), this results in a large force being applied to your head which is very damaging.

An airbag puts a soft material between your head and the dashbord which causes your head to decelerate over a longer time and so at a slower rate this causes the force on your head to decrease which makes injury less likely or less severe

Answered by Vedant B. Physics tutor

2177 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A person swims from a depth of 0.50 m to a depth of 1.70 m below the surface of the sea. Density of the sea water = 1030 kg/m^3. Gravitational field strength = 9.8 N/kg. Calculate the increase in pressure on the swimmer. Give the unit.


What is the difference between current and voltage?


Which are the forms of heat you know. Explain them briefly including an example


There is an oil tank that has a rectangular base of dimensions 2.4 m by 1.5 m. The tank is filled with oil of density 850 kg / m3 to a depth of 1.5 m. What is the mass of the oil?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2025

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences