According to the NHTSA, airbags saved over 50,000 lives between 1987 and 2017. However, it wasn’t until 1998 that a congressional law made front airbags a requirement on both sides of the front seat. Today, they are standard safety equipment on new cars.
History
Designs started in the 1950’s with the development of a cushion system utilizing compressed air. The airbag would deploy through a spring-loaded weight from a sensor monitoring sudden deceleration. The patent was secured but major auto companies did not use the designs. In the 1960’s, additional research found that compressed air could not inflate the airbag quickly enough in a crash. A new technology was created that allowed contact with the airbag to release a gas and deploy the cushion. In the 1970’s, several fleets of vehicles which included airbags were released for government use. However, it wasn’t until the 1990’s that this technology showed up in most American made vehicles.
Science
Airbags work best when used with seat belts, because they deploy so quickly in a crash. When a vehicle suddenly decelerates, a signal is sent to a control unit igniting an inflation system. The system starts a chemical reaction that inflates the airbag in 1/20th of a second. The airbag deployment is so forceful that some people may experience injuries from the airbag, however the injuries are normally less serious than the alternative.
Future
Airbag designs, standards and use have come a long way in the past 70 years. Newer vehicles today normally include side airbags in the front and back seats to protect from side impact crashes. Other airbag designs include knee airbags, front center airbags, and inflatable seat belts. Knee airbag designs will protect lower extremities in a crash and are still less common in the auto industry. Front center airbags are a design by General Motors to help minimize injuries in roll-over accidents. Ford uses inflatable seat belts in several newer vehicles to help with upper body injuries.
These kind of airbags and other ideas must undergo several phases of testing to be ready to enter the market. As the auto industry expands and societal needs change, so will airbag designs and use.
The Merdes Law Firm has been helping injured Alaskans for more than 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us … We’re here if you do. ~ Ward Merdes
Source(s): Thought Co. “The History of Airbags“, Did You Know Cars “History of Airbags“, and Motor Biscuit “Who Invented Airbags and When Were They First Introduced?“
