Air Bags and Horns

Hi, Can someone enlighten me as to how exactly horns on stearing wheels are a good idea with air bags? My logic flows like this:

When is someone most likely to use a horn? Just before impact in an accident.

Where is the horn button located? On or near the stearing wheel.

In the event of an impact what happens around the stearing wheel? The airbag deploys.

Where were your hands when this airbag deployed? On top of the stearing wheel pressing the horn!!!

What's the logic behind this?!?!?!

Reply to
Matt
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Guess it depends on your use of the horn.

I use the horn (couple of short toots) when someone has the blinker on and wants in my lane to indicate to them I'm holding a spot open. Or I use the horn when the person with a cell phone starts to drift over into my lane with looking or signaling to get away from me (polymer panels or not). If they keep coming over I steer, accelerate or brake to avoid contact.

If I think an accident is likely to happen, I have my hands on the wheel (not the horn) to try and steer out of the anticipated accident, or if there's no getting out of it (an impact), I want to hold on to the wheel and brace for the impact. To me the horn is not for impending accidents, just to signal other folks.

My $.02.

Reply to
Jonnie Santos

I doubt that generally you would have time to hit the horn if you are about to get into an accident that is severe enough to deploy the airbag. If you can see the accident coming and hit the horn, generally you will also have enough time to steer away from it.

Reply to
BANDIT2941

I wouldn't imagine many people would have their fingers on the horn at the moment of impact, they'd be more concerned with slamming on the brakes or trying to avoid the other vehicle (if someone's main concern just before impact is leaning on the horn, I would suggest they quite likely deserve what's coming to them..)

Reply to
Robert Hancock

Thats what I'm saying.......if one would have the time to be able to hit the horn, he would also be able to try to avoid the accident. Which would you pick?

Reply to
BANDIT2941

For many drivers, that is where the horn has always been and putting it elsewhere can make it harder to find in a hurry.

I had one of the Fords with the horn in the turn signal stick. It also had a 5-speed with 4 gears on top and 2 on the bottom, so there was no center position. The gears were close together, so it had a really nice short throw, but you had to be really careful putting it into first or reverse so you didn't get the wrong one. I hated that piece of junk.

The horn buttons on my 1998 SW2 have annoyed me a few times because they take longer to find even with practice. I let my girlfriend borrow my car and someone backed into it in a parking lot. She was trying to find the horn but in the interim it got whacked. No damage, but she was pretty annoyed at the crappy little horn buttons.

-DanD

Reply to
Dan Duncan

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