Why did the airbags in my car not deploy in an accident?

My 21-month-old Range Rover Sport was involved in a head-on motorway accident last December, with no other vehicle involved, and was subsequently written off by the insurers as beyond repair at reasonable cost. No air bags deployed. I am under continuing medical treatment and JLR now claim the insurers are at fault in not bringing the facts to their attention, even though they were advised by me. Do I have a right to expect that equipment fitted to a vehicle will be fit for purpose in protecting the occupants?

Asked on 10 February 2019 by John Curtis

Answered by Honest John
Air bags do not necessarily work in all crash situations. The triggers have to be balanced so the bags are not going off every time you hit a pothole, but do go off in a severe impact. Some types of impact are too "soft" to trigger them.
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