Airbags are made to deploy when a vehicle is involved in a crash, usually when the car is travelling over a certain speed and it comes to abrupt halt be that because it collided or was hit by another vehicle, and in some cases, due to a roll over.
That said, airbags are not meant to open without an accident of some sort. At least that's the theory because according to this Youtube video, the side airbags on this latest generation Chevrolet Camaro deployed without an accident while driver Paul Beiswenger was drifting the car at the Milan Dragway in Michigan.
