Airbag Switches for Police Safety

Airbag Switches for Law Enforcement
Federal Government Approved, N.H.T.S.A. Referred

Sensible Solutions produces the leading air bag switch specifically for law enforcement.  The Switch is in complete compliance with all Federal Regulations and also includes several important advantages over any other switch on the market.  We are in continuing contact with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA) and are a referred vendor.

Ford, Chrysler and GM state that no objects should be placed or mounted in the airbag deployment zone. 

Advantages of our Airbag Switches

Our switches are available with snap-together locking connectors, able to perfectly interface with Ford's original connectors and do not require outside wire ties, etc. These plug directly into the OEM parts and lock for easy, secure installation.

Ford Crown Victoria, Chevrolet Impala and Dodge Charger Police Cruisers have “Dual Stage” airbags.  This means that the airbag can deploy at two different forces depending on the severity of an accident.  We exclusively manufacture our Patent Pending multistage airbag switches for this type of deployment.

Save Department Funds

Passenger air bags are expensive.  Replacement costs are approximately $1850 each…not including down time and other related expenses.  Many departments have a policy that passengers cannot ride in the vehicle if there is a laptop computer mounted in the passenger airbag deployment zone.  A passenger air bag deployment is an unnecessary expense if there is no passenger. If there is an occasional passenger, the airbag switch lets you turn the airbag on.

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Airbag switch installed - note the airbag switch needs to be mounted so that the glove-box door is not blocked. (the smaller size of the Sensible Solutions Switch allows this often preferred location.)

The Real Story on Fuses

Some manufacturers claim that an internal fuse will prove what position the airbag switch was in at the time of an accident. But any litigation attorney will point out that there is no way to say for certain that the fuse hadn't been blown before the accident.

On the other hand, it is easy to determine the switch position after an airbag deploys by a simple electronic test of the switch and circuit. So there is no point in having an internal fuse.  

The problem with an internal fuse is that once an internal airbag fuse blows, the airbag warning light on the instrument panel will stay on until the fuse is replaced. This violates NHTSA's regulations because without the airbag warning light, there is no way to tell when some other problem surfaces in the airbag system. Many departments cannot afford to have cruisers unexpectedly out of service until the fuse (or in some cases the airbag switch if it has a hard wired internal fuse) is replaced, not to mention the cost of the airbag switch replacement. 

Sensible Solutions Airbag Switches have no internal fuses, so you don't have your cruisers out of service unnecessarily . 

We offer an optional in-line fuse that can be replaced without replacing the entire switch, if requested, but most departments don't want a fuse once they realize that it serves no useful purpose. 

High Quality Standards -

Airbag switches by Sensible Solutions are

Technologically superior

Gold Contacts in the airbag switch are important because gold doesn't corrode, and the switches will last far longer than non-gold contacts. Other metals are used in switches when the current is high enough to insure that the contacts clean themselves when the switch is moved from one position to another. But in an airbag circuit, the current is well below 3 milliAmps, so corrosion of the internal switch contacts is inevitable. This is well known to engineers in the electronics industry, and is why they use gold in low current applications. In the Auto industry, gold contacts have been required on low current electronic circuits since WW2.  An airbag switch that doesn't use gold contacts can eventually fail because the buildup of corrosion on the internal contacts will add too much resistance into the airbag circuit.

A switch with gold contacts needs to be soldered with techniques that carefully control the solder temperature and exposure time otherwise, the switch contacts tend to pit (the gold melts off the substrate). This can have a significant effect on the Airbag Switch's longevity.

Hand soldering lacks precise control of soldering temperature and time of exposure to soldering heat.

All Airbag Switches by Sensible Solutions are made using computer controlled wave soldering of the circuit boards. This carefully controls solder temperature and exposure time for quality assurance and long life.

Each airbag switch has internal filtering (patent pending) that removes Radio Frequencies (RF) from the circuit and protects the airbag from accidental detonation because of inductive reactance.

There are numerous frequencies in the radio frequency spectrum reserved for police, government and emergency use. These frequencies include the ones police cruisers, fire and emergency vehicles use for communication. The problem is that without a filter, any wire can pick up radio waves just like an antenna. Depending on the frequency and the length of the wire itself these radio waves can create a current in the airbag switch wire.  An airbag circuit, requires very little current to detonate an airbag. These RF waves can produce a detonating current unless they are filtered out.

Sensible Solutions is the only airbag switch manufacturer that uses an internal filter circuit to remove any RF induced currents, so these switches will not induce accidental detonation from radio frequencies.

Sensible Solutions makes the leading technologically superior airbag switch to insure long life and reliability.  All of our airbag switches carry a full five-year full replacement warranty.

Easy, Fast, Reliable Installation

We offer our switches as kits, complete with photo- illustrated instructions and technical support by phone. Or, if you prefer, our certified installers can install the switches for you or coordinate with your Mobile Data Terminal (laptop) installation contractor.

 Liability-Lawsuit Exposure

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a blanket exemption for Law Enforcement vehicles.  Federal approval is granted in your department’s name prior to installation.  Aside from the Airbag Switch being within the officer’s field of vision, a yellow and black, Federal government approved, warning label is applied to the passenger air bag dash cover or visor.

State Attorney General’s offices and hundreds of municipal attorneys have approved the use of Airbag Switches by their states and cities.  Our Airbag Switches have NEVER been involved in Liability Litigation.

The Airbag Switch is well lit and key operated.  The passenger air bag can be instantly reactivated if it is ever needed.  With one light on the airbag switch to indicate when the airbag is turned off, there is no question about the switch's status.  Your officer is continually aware of the status of the air bag.

Our air bag switch is similar to the passenger air bag switches installed by vehicle manufacturers as standard equipment on many late model pickup trucks being used by many municipalities.   Consequently, your city’s insurance policy already covers air bag switches. 

Application Flexibility

Incorporating a state of the art design, Sensible Solutions airbag switches (Patents Pending) can be used in all vehicles, with no adverse effect to the SRS computer or diagnostic monitor.  As Federal regulations require, our airbag switch allows an airbag to be turned ON or OFF while maintaining proper functioning of a vehicle's diagnostic system in either position. The vehicle's air bag warning light on the instrument panel will continue to provide accurate indications of the status of the other airbags in the SRS system.  

Sensible Solutions airbag switches lead the industry in quality and reliability.  Our design is sealed in a moisture/dirt resistant enclosure with all switch contacts double sealed against corrosion. We use one light to show when the airbag is turned off, as required by Federal regulations. Other switches have two lights, making it difficult for many people to tell if the airbag is on or off. We have found that one light showing when the airbag is turned off is far easier for most users.

Our switches can be used to control curtain airbags as well. But with curtain airbags, which can destroy prisoner partitions, you can use one of our airbag simulators to disconnect the airbag without effecting the car's airbag system.

Covert Operations

For covert surveillance vehicles, we have provided airbag switches with red LEDs to preserve night vision. A big issue to those who use these vehicles is making sure the airbags do not go off unexpectedly; especially when they are trying to exit the vehicle quickly. This is one reason they have decided on manually controlled airbag switches.

What alternatives are there to installing an Airbag Switch?

Airbag Switches Compared

Click here  for a sample Airbag Switch Specification. 

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Sensible Solutions LLC
7301 Brookside Drive
Frederick, MD   21702

toll free: 877-773-7908
local 301-437-7908
Fax: 301-473-4829