Probably no other vehicle safety device has had as a profound impact on saving the lives of occupants in a car crash than the air bag. An air bag is a flexible device which under the right circumstances inflates as a cushioned barrier to prevent fatal injuries in car accidents. Most vehicles in the 2010 production cycle have airbags installed which are designed to inflate and deflate in 0.4 or less than half a second. They are currently required by law to protect both the driver and front seat passenger of every new vehicle. They are considered a passive device since the occupants of the vehicle are not required to activate or use the air bag, contrary to a seat belt which must be employed by the car’s occupants in order to provide its benefits. John Wenrick designed the original safety cushion device in 1952. Dr. David S. Breed invented the sensor for crash detection which works in conjunction to deploy the airbag at its appropriate moment. Airbags were first introduced to Florida automobile occupants in the 1970’s while seat belt usage was quite low.
Today, in addition to the traditional airbag in the steering wheel and passenger side dashboard, airbags have been designed and installed in the lower dashboard to protect the driver’s and front passenger’s knees; there are side airbags contained in the front and rear side door panels; in the seat sides to protect against mid-body fatal blows; there are air curtains that can run the full length of both sides of the modern vehicle for side impacts or roll-over accidents; there are airbags available for the entire roof in the event of a rollover accident to prevent fatal head injuries; there are rear curtain air bags to prevent fatal injuries to the rear occupants of vehicles equipped with a third row seated near the rear glass; and there is now a center airbag that will be deployed in the event of a potential fatal accident which will deploy in the center of the rear seat to prevent fatal injuries to rear occupants who can otherwise be thrown about the compartment. Continued in next Blog…
