They save lives, but… know what
happens when an airbag deploys
In 1969, the new trend in driving
safety was air pillows. Those pillows
stayed around but their name
changed, and no wonder.
An airbag is no pillow, but while
a deployed airbag is not a comfy
experience, it remains a landmark of
safety. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration estimates that
airbags have saved 44,869 lives from
1987 to 2015.
According to Popular Science, in a
head-on collision, a car stops fast,
but the bodies inside the car don’t.
The momentum of the bodies inside
continues until the windshield,
dashboard or steering wheel brings
them to a stop – usually with dire
consequences.
The idea of an airbag is not just to
pillow the blow, but to lower the
impact by spreading it over a larger
area of the body. No single area of the
body bears the brunt of deceleration,
according to Popular Science.
To accomplish this, airbags deploy
within 1/25th of a second of impact,
filling the nylon airbag with nitrogen
Good Clean Funnies
Then and now
A tour guide was showing a tourist
around Washington, D. C. The guide
pointed out the place where George
Washington supposedly threw a dollar
across the Potomac River. “That’s
impossible,” said the tourist. “No one
could throw a coin that far!”
“You have to remember,” answered the
guide. “A dollar went a lot farther in
those days.”
Airbags have saved thousands of lives
since it’s introduction.
and instantly deflating. Tiny holes
in the bag begin releasing gas the
moment a driver’s head hits the bag,
absorbing the impact. This is why the
driver’s head doesn’t hit the bag and
then whip backward.
A white puff of cornstarch might also
come out of the bag. The cornstarch
keeps the bag supple while it is in
storage. Newer cars have airbags
with silicone coatings that make the
cornstarch unnecessary.
High Medical Cost
As I was admitted to the hospital for
a procedure, the clerk asked for my
wrist, saying, “I’m going to give you a
bracelet.”
“Has it got rubies and diamonds?” I
asked coyly.
“No,” he said. “But it will cost just as
much.”
The Good Life
Because airbags stop the body, they
prevent deadly head injuries and
whiplash. But they do sometimes
cause red impact burns on the body
and break eyeglasses.
Stay safe using
free Wi-Fi
Hackers are lurking on free wi-fi
connections because if it is free to
you, it is free to them.
They can gather your passwords from
any account you log into from social
sites to your bank.
Stay safe using these free wi-fi
guidelines:
1. Never log in to your bank account or
make payment for anything.
2. Check for the https prefix before the
web address. The S shows that the
connection is secure.
3. Avoid using an app on your
smartphone or tablet when on free
wi-fi.
ForCleanCarpets.com
Moneywise
Be careful using free wi-fi. Just becausse
it’s free, doesn’t mean it’s safe.
4. Log out from websites you use. If
you do not, a hacker could use the
website in your name.
5. Don’t use the same password for
everything. A hacker on a free wi-fi
network can get the password you
are using and test it on other sites,
even your bank.
6. Change your passwords frequently.
Stock rewards as a loyalty
program
A new kind of loyalty program gives
customers $1 worth of stock in a
company every time they spend $100.
That is thanks to a new company,
Bumped. The company, the first of its
kind, lets shoppers choose their favorite
companies from different categories.
The idea is that if a shopper gets a
slice of free stock every time they shop
at CVS, they might stop shopping at
Walgreens. Research shows that at
least one-third of consumers with stock
ownership in a company stop buying
from other brands entirely.