Please read this again from the NHTSA on side air bag deployment:
Side airbags: Because of the small space between an occupant and the side of the vehicle, side airbags must deploy very quickly to cushion occupants from intruding vehicles or objects. Some airbags typically deploy within the first 10-20 milliseconds of a side crash.
"Must deploy" thresholds can be as low as 8 mph for narrow object crashes (e.g., trees and poles) and 18 mph for the more distributed side crashes (vehicle-to-vehicle crashes). Several auto manufacturers deploy the side airbags in frontal crashes to help control occupant movement during the rebound phase of a crash.
According to the criteria here the impact would not have caused the side airbag to deploy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gajagfan
My first thought with any accident is that I hope all are OK. It sounds like you folks, and the other driver, are going to be alright, and that is the only real thing that matters. The car looks terrible right now, but we know they can fix it. As far as the air bags, and whether they should have deployed or not, I would want to find out, but I think there is one thing we as owners need to keep in mind. From what I understand, these bodies are aluminum. If this is the case, I think damage is going to look much worse, and accidents that look like bags should have gone off may not. If this is not the case, maybe someone can set me straight!
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Our cars are not aluminum, just the hood is aluminum. The body is still steel.