BigTyla
08-15-2011, 01:21 PM
Chevy Camaro’s Air Bags Deploy While Drifting, GM Admits it Could Happen to You [Video] | AutoGuide.com News (http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/08/chevy-camaros-air-bags-deploy-while-drifting-gm-admits-it-could-happen-to-you-video.html)
While putting on a drifting demonstration out at the Milan Dragway in Michigan, the driver and passenger in this Chevrolet Camaro got an unsuspecting surprise when the side air bags deployed, slightly burning the arms on the passenger. Amazingly, the entire sequence of events got caught on video, which was then instantly uploaded to Youtube.
Obviously having technology work to your advantage when it comes to safety is something each of us wants when we get inside our vehicle, but this might be a little discomforting for some Camaro owners that may have aspirations to do some fun, spirited driving in a responsible fashion. GM spokesperson Alan Adler has already responded to what happened in this particular incident:
It is unusual to have this occur. However, it is possible for a driver to create conditions where the air bag sensors believe a rollover is imminent. This can lead to an unwanted air bag deployment. On rollover side curtain bags, the vehicle’s rollover sensing system is looking for a certain set of factors that ‘predict’ a vehicle is going to roll over. The airbag system cannot wait until it is too late to deploy the airbags. Drifting or creating a situation that has a certain combination of speed and vehicle angle can lead to an unwanted air bag deployment.”
While it didn’t seem to us that the Camaro was on the verge of rolling over, clearly its electronics thought it’s best to be safe than sorry. Hopefully all those Camaro owners out there watch this video before doing any drift demonstrations.
While putting on a drifting demonstration out at the Milan Dragway in Michigan, the driver and passenger in this Chevrolet Camaro got an unsuspecting surprise when the side air bags deployed, slightly burning the arms on the passenger. Amazingly, the entire sequence of events got caught on video, which was then instantly uploaded to Youtube.
Obviously having technology work to your advantage when it comes to safety is something each of us wants when we get inside our vehicle, but this might be a little discomforting for some Camaro owners that may have aspirations to do some fun, spirited driving in a responsible fashion. GM spokesperson Alan Adler has already responded to what happened in this particular incident:
It is unusual to have this occur. However, it is possible for a driver to create conditions where the air bag sensors believe a rollover is imminent. This can lead to an unwanted air bag deployment. On rollover side curtain bags, the vehicle’s rollover sensing system is looking for a certain set of factors that ‘predict’ a vehicle is going to roll over. The airbag system cannot wait until it is too late to deploy the airbags. Drifting or creating a situation that has a certain combination of speed and vehicle angle can lead to an unwanted air bag deployment.”
While it didn’t seem to us that the Camaro was on the verge of rolling over, clearly its electronics thought it’s best to be safe than sorry. Hopefully all those Camaro owners out there watch this video before doing any drift demonstrations.