What Is the 5-10-20 Rule for Airbags?

The 5-10-20 rule is a safety guideline that recommends keeping at least 5 inches from side-impact/curtain airbag zones, 10 inches from the driver’s steering-wheel airbag, and 20 inches from the front passenger airbag. It’s used by drivers, passengers, and first responders to reduce injury risk if an airbag deploys, especially during vehicle extrication or when setting a safe seating position.

The Rule, Clearly Defined

The following distances are widely taught in automotive safety and emergency-response training as minimum clearance zones around undeployed Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbags.

• 5 inches: Minimum clear space from side-impact and side-curtain airbags (in doors, seat sides, and roof rails).
• 10 inches: Minimum chest-to-steering-wheel distance for the driver’s frontal airbag.
• 20 inches: Minimum clearance in front of the front passenger airbag module.

These distances reflect typical deployment sizes and directions of modern airbags and provide a conservative buffer to help prevent injury if an airbag fires unexpectedly.

Why These Distances Matter

Airbags deploy extremely fast—often in 20–50 milliseconds—and with significant force. Driver airbags are smaller and deploy toward the driver, hence the 10-inch buffer; passenger airbags are larger and can arc outward farther, hence the 20-inch buffer. Side and curtain airbags expand laterally or downward from doors, seat bolsters, and roof rails, so a 5-inch zone helps prevent direct contact during deployment. Respecting these zones lowers the risk of secondary injury for occupants and responders.

How to Apply the 5-10-20 Rule

For Everyday Drivers and Passengers

Use the rule to set a safer seating position and reduce deployment risks inside the cabin.

1. Maintain at least 10 inches between the center of your chest and the steering wheel airbag; adjust the seat and use steering wheel tilt/telescope to achieve this.
2. Sit upright with the seat back as far as practical while keeping full control of pedals and visibility.
3. Keep the front passenger area clear so there is at least 20 inches of unobstructed space in front of the airbag module.
4. Always wear your seat belt; airbags are supplemental and designed to work with restraints.
5. Place children under 13 in the rear seats and never put a rear-facing child seat in front of an active passenger airbag.
6. Avoid placing accessories, mounts, or hard objects over airbag covers or along side-curtain deployment paths.

These practices align with guidance from safety authorities and automakers and help ensure airbags deploy as designed without causing preventable harm.

For First Responders and Rescue Personnel

During extrication or any operation near an undeployed SRS, treat airbag zones as “no-go” areas and control power safely.

• Maintain the 5-10-20 clearances around side, driver, and passenger airbags while cutting, prying, or operating tools.
• Identify airbag modules, inflators, and wiring in doors, pillars, seats, dash, and roof rails before making cuts.
• Disable power per the automaker’s guidance (battery disconnect, ignition off) and allow capacitors to discharge; many manufacturers specify 1–3 minutes, though some procedures call for longer—follow the vehicle’s service data.
• Avoid placing personnel or equipment in deployment arcs; reposition seats/columns when feasible to move modules away from work areas.
• Beware of additional SRS components (knee, seat-mounted, rear, and pedestrian airbags) in newer vehicles.

Using the 5-10-20 zones with proper power-down and identification of SRS components reduces the risk of accidental deployment injuries during rescue operations.

Common Misconceptions and Edge Cases

Understanding what the 5-10-20 rule is—and isn’t—helps you apply it correctly.

• It’s a guideline, not a law; it provides conservative minimums that fit most vehicles but does not replace manufacturer instructions.
• Advanced/multi-stage airbags and occupant-sensing systems can change deployment force but not the basic need for clearance.
• The “10 inches” is measured from the driver’s chest to the steering wheel center, not the seatback or dashboard.
• Small-stature or pregnant drivers can still target 10 inches by moving the seat rearward, adjusting the steering wheel downward/away, and sitting upright with proper belt use.
• The 5-10-20 rule doesn’t explicitly cover knee or rear-seat airbags; assume similar caution and verify locations in the owner’s manual or service data.

Treat 5-10-20 as a practical baseline: verify airbag locations, maintain clear zones, and defer to the vehicle’s official procedures whenever available.

Summary

The 5-10-20 rule recommends minimum clearances of 5 inches from side/curtain airbags, 10 inches from the driver’s steering-wheel airbag, and 20 inches from the front passenger airbag. It’s a widely taught, conservative guideline that helps occupants set safer seating positions and helps first responders work around undeployed airbags with reduced risk. Always pair the rule with seat belts, proper child seating, and the vehicle manufacturer’s specific safety instructions.

How fast do you have to be hit for airbags to deploy?

Airbags are triggered by the vehicle’s speed and the rate of deceleration, not just a single speed. For frontal airbags, deployment typically begins in crashes equivalent to hitting a rigid wall at about 10-12 mph for unbelted occupants and 16 mph for belted occupants, though this varies by manufacturer. Factors like the type of collision (frontal vs. side), the angle of impact, and even the occupant’s size can affect deployment. 
How It Works

1. Sensors Detect Impact: Opens in new tabSensors located in the vehicle’s front and sides detect a rapid, sudden change in velocity or a high impact force. 
2. Computer Makes a Decision: Opens in new tabThis information is sent to the car’s computer, which analyzes the data, including the rate of deceleration, the angle of impact, and whether the occupant is belted. 
3. Airbag Deploys: Opens in new tabIf the criteria for a severe collision are met, the computer triggers the appropriate airbags to inflate rapidly. 

Factors Influencing Deployment

• Belted vs. Unbelted: The threshold speed for deploying an airbag is lower when an occupant is not wearing a seat belt, as the belt provides some protection, increasing the necessary force for airbag deployment. 
• Type of Impact: Frontal airbags are designed for front-end collisions, while side airbags have different deployment thresholds and use side-mounted sensors. 
• Deceleration Rate: It is not just the vehicle’s speed but how quickly it stops (deceleration rate) that matters. A rapid stop into a solid object, even at a relatively lower speed, can trigger airbags. 
• Manufacturer Design: Different vehicle manufacturers set their own specific deployment thresholds and use varying sensor technologies. 

Key takeaway: Airbags deploy when the vehicle experiences a “moderate to severe” impact that meets the system’s specific criteria, which is more complex than a simple speed limit.

What is the 5 10 20 rule?

The “5 10 20 Rule” refers to three key protections for U.S. Veterans’ disability ratings under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system: the 5-Year Rule prevents the reduction of a rating unless there’s proof of sustained improvement; the 10-Year Rule protects the disability’s service connection from being terminated; and the 20-Year Rule prevents a rating from being lowered below the lowest level it was during that period, except in cases of fraud.
 
Here’s a breakdown of each rule:

• The 5-Year Rule:
  • What it does: If a veteran’s disability rating has been stable for five or more years, the VA cannot reduce it unless there is substantial evidence of a sustained improvement in the condition. 
  • Purpose: This rule provides stability for veterans, assuming that a rating that has not changed for a significant period is likely to be permanent. 
• The 10-Year Rule:
  • What it does: Once a service-connected disability has been rated for 10 or more years, the VA cannot terminate the service connection for that disability, even if the condition improves significantly. 
  • Purpose: This rule ensures that a veteran’s benefits linked to a specific service-related disability are protected from being revoked, preventing a veteran from losing their benefits entirely after a decade. 
• The 20-Year Rule:
  • What it does: If a veteran has held a service-connected disability rating for 20 continuous years, the VA cannot reduce that rating below the lowest rating level the veteran received during that 20-year period. 
  • Purpose: This rule provides strong protection for long-term, continuous disability ratings, preventing the VA from lowering benefits below a certain point even if the condition has improved. 

Important Considerations:

• Fraud: Opens in new tabIn all cases, if the original rating was based on fraud, the VA can still take action to reduce or revoke the benefits. 
• VA 55-Year-Old Rule: Opens in new tabIn addition to these, the VA also has a “55-Year-Old Rule,” which generally protects veterans over the age of 55 from routine reexaminations to assess their disability. 

What is the 5 10 15 airbag rule?

I have witnessed first-hand how our approach can restrict our operational options and adopting the 5-10-15-20-inch safety rule (5 inches from a side airbag, 10 inches from a driver’s airbag, 15 inches from a side curtain and 20 inches from a passenger airbag) leaves us very little space to enter the vehicle or to treat …

What is the 5 10 20 airbag rule?

The “5 10 20 Rule” is a safety guideline for operating in and around vehicles with airbags, recommending a minimum clearance of 5 inches from side airbags, 10 inches from a driver’s steering wheel airbag, and 20 inches from a passenger’s dashboard airbag. This rule helps prevent serious injury from the powerful, rapid deployment of both activated and unactivated airbags during rescue operations.
 
What Each Number Represents 

• 5 inches: For side impact airbags (including side-curtain airbags).
• 10 inches: For the driver’s side airbag in the steering wheel.
• 20 inches: For the front passenger’s dashboard airbag.

Why the Rule is Important

• Rapid Deployment: Airbags deploy extremely fast, at speeds up to 200 mph, to provide life-saving protection in a crash. 
• Severe Injury Potential: Even a deployed airbag can cause serious or fatal injuries if a person is too close to the deployment zone. 
• Undeployed Airbags: The risk of injury exists even with airbags that have not deployed, as they can still activate unexpectedly after the vehicle’s power is shut off. 

How to Apply the Rule

1. Locate Airbag Modules: Look for “Airbag” or “SRS” (Supplemental Restraint System) labels on the vehicle’s interior surfaces. 
2. Maintain Safe Distances: Keep the recommended distances from these modules. 
3. Be Aware of Full Deployment Zone: Understand that the airbag will inflate a specific distance into the compartment; the rule is about the space the airbag occupies when fully inflated. 
4. Avoid the Zone: If possible, work outside these defined zones to minimize the risk of injury.