The importance of air bags

An airbag, also known as a supplemental restraint, is designed to protect drivers from a strong impact during a car accident. It is called a “passive” safety component, because it only inflates after an accident has occurred, whereas it does not serve to prevent an accident from happening in the first place. Airbags help prevent passengers from avoiding or reducing the risk of serious head and chest injuries in a collision.

The cars move with a certain momentum, carrying the passengers. So when a car crashes, the force required to stop the car together with its objects is too great, because the momentum has suddenly changed, while the passengers do not have enough time to equalize the balance. That’s when the air bags come in. Airbags serve to help stop passengers while causing as little damage as possible. The inflation of an airbag is activated by the airbag control unit, which reacts to the crash sensor when it detects an impact that exceeds the value necessary to inflate the airbag.

However, from the name “supplemental restraint”, it already suggests that airbags are not installed to replace the seat belt, but are installed at the same time as the seat belts. If the air bag inflates, the seat belt will act to provide support for the body and prevent ejection of the occupant. The airbag can be said to have a texture similar to a soft cushion, and this cushion is what separates the driver from other hard surfaces in the car such as the wheel, windshield, and dash. Since 1998, all American cars must have airbags on both sides of the front seat. Statistics have shown that an airbag can reduce the risk of death by 30% in a frontal collision. But still, it is naive to think that the airbag alone can save your life. The airbag must coexist with the seat belt to ensure the best protection.

The science of airbags is considered to be still in development. It has been stated that 40% of injuries were due to side collisions. Airbag designers are still in the process of finding a way to make the best use of side airbags to reduce the rate of serious injury from side collisions. In the meantime, we are urged to drive safely as they seek to advance in this field, so many advancements are expected in the future.