[Shovelman]

Suppose someone pulls out right in front of me, I hit the horn, crash, and the air bag deploys,,,,,

[freakystyly]

Maybe hit the brakes instead of the horn and you won't crash...

Yeah, airbags don't care whats in their way. Depending on how severe the accident is, you could break your arm from the seat belt alone.

[Dom147]

+1 on the hitting the brakes before the horn. The horn hardly has any real use other than getting someone off their phone in a green light in my experience.

[Sportstick]

A school of thought has arisen since air bags launched in the 90s that the old "10 and 2" steering position should become "9 and 3" and hand-over-hand turning be replaced by "bus driver" hand-motion turns. This is all to keep your arms/hands out of the zone between your face and the deploying air bag. Consider that for what it's worth.

Even worse is sitting less than a minimum of 10" from the steering wheel hub to your sternum. That closeness increases the chance the air bag deploys up under your chin, essentially lifting your skull off your spine. Basilar skull fracture becomes incompatible with life. Short people or those who like to sit close and "drape" their forearms down the face of the wheel need pedal blocks and they should sit more rearward.

[freakystyly]

This article probably has some interesting points.. I didn't get around to reading it all.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3217531/

Has to do with seating position and driver stature. Physics is just math after all...

[Kernel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

A school of thought has arisen since air bags launched in the 90s that the old "10 and 2" steering position should become "9 and 3" and hand-over-hand turning be replaced by "bus driver" hand-motion turns. This is all to keep your arms/hands out of the zone between your face and the deploying air bag. Consider that for what it's worth.

Also do not ever rest your thumbs on an airbag cover, it will break them if it deploys.

[Apo Zubulthums]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

Suppose someone pulls out right in front of me, I hit the horn, crash, and the air bag deploys,,,,,

I share your fear of this, I reflexively hit the horn in these situations too. My hope is that I only do this to express annoyance and if a collision is really going to happen then I won't.

[marksandygill]

If you’re trying to hit the horn instead of holding the wheel and braking then you probably deserve that broken wrist…😂🤦‍♂️

[Shovelman]

In emergencies my reflex is clutch, brake, steer, pretty much simultaneously. The horn is also reflex when my reflexes judge that to be prudent, deer or to give warning which might be helpful to the unaware. I don't usually think any of this out in the split second.

So just wondering if anyone has info from an actual airbag deployment.

[freakystyly]

Airbags deploy lightning fast. If it makes you feel better, your arm will likely be the consistency of mashed potato once it hits your face.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

In emergencies my reflex is clutch, brake, steer, pretty much simultaneously. The horn is also reflex when my reflexes judge that to be prudent, deer or to give warning which might be helpful to the unaware. I don't usually think any of this out in the split second.

So just wondering if anyone has info from an actual airbag deployment.

In my prior work, I've witnessed them in test environments and read data about outcomes. If your question is still will you punch yourself in the face, the answer can be "yes". Orbital fractures from intervening hands during deployment have been reported.

[harma24]

I had a couple of older Honda's which had the horn button on the edge of the steering wheel, where the radio and cruise control buttons are on our cars. Made a lot more sense to me since I could hit the horn button with my thumb without ever taking my hand off the wheel. The placement in the middle behind the airbag is one of the most asinine current design trends in my opinion.

[jzeiler4]

Originally Posted by harma24

The placement in the middle behind the airbag is one of the most asinine current design trends in my opinion.

Not so much a current design but rather a hold over from 90 years ago. Sometimes old habits are hard to break.

[harma24]

Originally Posted by jzeiler4

Not so much a current design but rather a hold over from 90 years ago. Sometimes old habits are hard to break.

Maybe that was the placement 90 years ago, but it wasn't the case 30 years ago in the cars I learned to drive in / owned:

1995 Chrysler Town & Country


1993 Honda Accord


2001 Honda Prelude