How does a car airbag know when to deploy?

How does a car know when a crash is serious enough to deploy the airbags? It isn’t as simple as hitting something — and there isn’t one magic speed that automatically triggers them. In this video, we break down how crash sensors detect rapid changes in motion, how the airbag control unit evaluates a collision, and how the system decides which restraints need to deploy. You’ll also learn why two crashes at similar speeds can produce very different airbag responses, why visible vehicle damage doesn’t necessarily determine whether an airbag should deploy, and how an airbag can inflate in less than 1/20th of a second. From impact to detection to deployment, here’s how your car makes a critical safety decision in a fraction of a second. Subscribe to Take Rate Research for more short explainers about the hidden systems behind everyday life. #Airbags #CarSafety #HowItWorks #Engineering #Cars #TakeRateResearch