Final answer:
The assertion that airbags work best without seat belts is FALSE. Airbags are designed to work as supplemental protection alongside seat belts to minimize injuries during a crash by reducing the force of impact over a longer period of time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'air bags are not supplemental protection and work best without seatbelts' is FALSE. Airbags are indeed a form of supplemental protection in vehicles and are designed to work in conjunction with seatbelts. When an accident occurs, airbags deploy to help minimize serious injuries to passengers.
The deployment of airbags allows the net force on the occupants in the car to act over a much longer time, reducing the impact force experienced by the occupants due to a sudden stop.
Vehicles include safety features like airbags and seat belts for maximum protection. While the momentum change is the same for an occupant with or without an airbag, the force they experience will be significantly less if the airbag deploys, acting over a larger time frame. Combining the seat belt with an airbag ensures the best protection by restraining the occupant and then cushioning them to reduce the force of the impact further.
Airbags are actually supplemental protection and work best when used with seatbelts, so the statement is FALSE. Airbags deploy upon impact to minimize serious injuries to passengers by reducing the force acting on them.
They do this by increasing the time over which the force of impact acts, which decreases the overall force exerted on the occupants. Seatbelts work in conjunction with airbags to further protect passengers by helping to restrain them and prevent them from being thrown forward during a collision.