Upside down prius

mrpickles · 11-23-2007, 01:21 PM

[attachmentid=12581] Ok, so my mom loved my 2007 prius. She went and got the almost exact car. She loved all the features, etc etc. Then as she was only a couple of blocks from home cruising about 15 mph a car ran a stop sign, hit her in the right rear, it slid a little then flipped all the way over!!!! Luckily my mom was not hurt, just bruised a little. She was very mentally shook up though. After I new she was ok I asked if the air bags must have gone off. They did not, seems kinda weird that she was upside down and no air bag deployment? I'm just happy shes is doing fine now.

mingoglia · 11-23-2007, 01:24 PM

I don't believe airbag deployment happens when the vehicle leaves the ground in the Prius. I believe some vehicles activate the side airbags though. Glad she's OK, do you have any larger pics you could post? I know about the mental shock. My wife was in a vehicle that got t-boned (a '99 Expedition) and rolled it on it's side. The vehicle that hit her (according to witnesses) was doing around 60mph.

mrpickles · 11-23-2007, 01:47 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mingoglia @ Nov 23 2007, 01:24 PM) [snapback]543263[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I don't believe airbag deployment happens when the vehicle leaves the ground in the Prius. I believe some vehicles activate the side airbags though. Glad she's OK, do you have any larger pics you could post? I know about the mental shock. My wife was in a vehicle that got t-boned (a '99 Expedition) and rolled it on it's side. The vehicle that hit her (according to witnesses) was doing around 60mph.
[/b]

Yes , with a side impact I would hope the side airbags would have gone off? No larger pics> My dad took a few as he was able to get there right away, being so close to home. Poor little prius was totaled.

Earthling · 11-23-2007, 02:04 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrpickles @ Nov 23 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]543260[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

After I new she was ok I asked if the air bags must have gone off. They did not, seems kinda weird that she was upside down and no air bag deployment? I'm just happy shes is doing fine now.
[/b]

Airbags go off when airbag sensors tell them to. In a frontal-impact collision, the sudden hard decceleration of the vehicle causes the airbag sensor to physically detect a collision and deploy the airbag. It's based on Newton' law about objects in motion.

I would imagine side impact airbags have similar sensors.

It's possible to have a collision where decelleration isn't hard enough to trip the airbags.

Harry

**Tideland Prius** · 11-23-2007, 02:22 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mrpickles @ Nov 23 2007, 10:21 AM) [snapback]543260[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

hit her in the right rear,
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That's why the airbags didn't go off. It's out of the sensor's range.

Glad your mum is ok. The car must've been going quite fast to flip the Prius over. But if you noticed, the curved roof of the Prius is pretty darn strong even though it feels flimsy (as some of you may have found out after leaving a dent on the roof).

daniel · 11-23-2007, 02:28 PM

If your mom was not hurt, then the airbags performed properly in not deploying. The purpose of the air bag is to prevent the occupant from being too suddenly decelerated by impact with the inside of the car. You do not want the air bag to deploy if the deceleration of the occupant is not radically different from the deceleration of the vehicle.

We keep seeing posts where someone says "... accident ... nobody hurt ... air bags should have deployed..." The air bags should not deploy in an accident where nobody is hurt, as the airbags themselves can cause injury. You only want them to deploy when any injury they may cause is less than the injury that would result from their not deploying.

It's not whether the car is right side up or upside down. It's the deceleration forces.

I am very glad your mom was not hurt. The Prius is a very good car in this respect. It does quite well in a crash.

Vincent · 11-24-2007, 05:54 AM

[attachmentid=12581]

Lucky Mom. Not happy to see a damaged Prius, but happy to see it performed well in an accident for her.

Michgal007 · 11-24-2007, 09:21 AM

Wow, that must have been scary. Glad your mother is ok.

patsparks · 11-24-2007, 10:29 AM

Glad mum is still good.
If there were no serious injuries the airbags weren't needed so for the reduced cost of repair or salvage value it's a good thing the airbags weren't wasted.

tochatihu · 11-24-2007, 08:45 PM

Mrpickles best wishes to Mom, and please post again on whether the vehicle is repaired or salvaged. We do not see many of these. Fortunately!

It slid sideways and then flipped? Would you suspect that the wheels hit a curb?

11-23-2007, 01:21 PM	#1
mrpickles Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 5 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	[attachmentid=12581] Ok, so my mom loved my 2007 prius. She went and got the almost exact car. She loved all the features, etc etc. Then as she was only a couple of blocks from home cruising about 15 mph a car ran a stop sign, hit her in the right rear, it slid a little then flipped all the way over!!!! Luckily my mom was not hurt, just bruised a little. She was very mentally shook up though. After I new she was ok I asked if the air bags must have gone off. They did not, seems kinda weird that she was upside down and no air bag deployment? I'm just happy shes is doing fine now. Attached Thumbnails

11-23-2007, 02:28 PM	#6
daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 9,147 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	If your mom was not hurt, then the airbags performed properly in not deploying. The purpose of the air bag is to prevent the occupant from being too suddenly decelerated by impact with the inside of the car. You do not want the air bag to deploy if the deceleration of the occupant is not radically different from the deceleration of the vehicle. We keep seeing posts where someone says "... accident ... nobody hurt ... air bags should have deployed..." The air bags should not deploy in an accident where nobody is hurt, as the airbags themselves can cause injury. You only want them to deploy when any injury they may cause is less than the injury that would result from their not deploying. It's not whether the car is right side up or upside down. It's the deceleration forces. I am very glad your mom was not hurt. The Prius is a very good car in this respect. It does quite well in a crash. __________________ Daniel ---------------------- Primary car: Zap Xebra SD: 100% electric car. 1.9 cents per mile, using electrons generated from water power. (The Prius is my gas guzzler, used when I have to travel farther than 35 miles in a day.) "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." -- Emma Goldman "Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think long and hard before starting a war." -- Otto von Bismarck

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11-23-2007, 01:24 PM	#2
mingoglia Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 807 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	I don't believe airbag deployment happens when the vehicle leaves the ground in the Prius. I believe some vehicles activate the side airbags though. Glad she's OK, do you have any larger pics you could post? I know about the mental shock. My wife was in a vehicle that got t-boned (a '99 Expedition) and rolled it on it's side. The vehicle that hit her (according to witnesses) was doing around 60mph.

11-24-2007, 05:54 AM	#7
Vincent Don't Wait Until Tomorrow Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: South Florida Posts: 438 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #8 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	[attachmentid=12581] Lucky Mom. Not happy to see a damaged Prius, but happy to see it performed well in an accident for her.

11-24-2007, 09:21 AM	#8
Michgal007 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan. Posts: 810 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Wow, that must have been scary. Glad your mother is ok.

11-24-2007, 10:29 AM	#9
patsparks Uneducated bird-brain Aussie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Adelaide South Australia Posts: 4,905 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 17	Glad mum is still good. If there were no serious injuries the airbags weren't needed so for the reduced cost of repair or salvage value it's a good thing the airbags weren't wasted.

11-24-2007, 08:45 PM	#10
tochatihu Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kunming Yunnan China Posts: 1,817 My Car: 2001 Prius Package: Pioneer #1 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 7	Mrpickles best wishes to Mom, and please post again on whether the vehicle is repaired or salvaged. We do not see many of these. Fortunately! It slid sideways and then flipped? Would you suspect that the wheels hit a curb?