air bag deployment - NOT

[howard.kohn@xxxxxxxxx]

I had a recent head-on encounter into a three foot thick styrofoam block at
Watkins Glen that was strategically placed in front of the guard rails
between turns 8 and 9.  My speed was perhaps 40 mph, maybe less.  The front
of my 96 328i accordian-ed up, sacrificing the nose, front bumper, fenders,
hood,  radiator, water pump , etc.  I was wearing the factory three-point
harness and was not injured at all.  This speaks well for the design of the
car in a front-end accident.  I wish to know if the airbags should have
deployed, or if the sensors were smart enough to distinguish between the
relatively slower decelleration caused by plowing into the styrofoam. The
four way flashers came on automatically.  Is there a way to
non-destructively test the airbag system.  The airbag sensor indicator on
the dash did not light up.

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