In a motor vehicle crash, if the airbag has not deployed, what term is used to describe the airbag?

• A. Faulty Airbag
• B. Loaded Airbag
• C. Deployed Airbag
• D. Expired Airbag

Answer: (B)

In trauma care terminology, airbags that have not deployed are described as loaded because the system is charged and ready to inflate if another crash occurs. The airbag module contains a propellant and the sensing system remains armed; since the crash didn’t reach the trigger threshold, the bag stays uninflated but still holds its deployment capability. This is different from a deployed airbag (inflated and spent) and from ideas of a defect or an expiration. A non-deployed airbag isn’t inherently faulty or expired; it simply wasn’t triggered by that incident, though it may still pose injury risks and requires cautious assessment around the vehicle’s interior and restraint system.