AIRBAG WITH NOTCHED DEPLOYMENT CONTROLLING FLAP

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle comprises an airbag inflatable from a stored condition to a deployed condition in which the airbag is positioned between a reaction surface of the vehicle and the occupant. The airbag comprises an upper portion and a lower portion. Each of the upper and lower portions is at least one of rolled and folded. The upper and lower portions are positioned overlying each other when in the stored condition. A deployment flap comprises a sheet of material having a first end portion and an oppositely disposed second end portion. The first end portion is secured to the vehicle. A portion of the deployment flap is positioned between the upper and lower portions. The deployment flap has a notch with opposite side edges converging in a direction toward the first end portion of the deployment flap and terminating at a vertex.