Airbags
John W. Hetrick of Newport, Pennsylvania, USA invented the first airbag in 1952. He patented this new device in 1953. Nowadays, airbags are also called Supplementary Restraint Systems (SRS) or Supplemental Inflatable Restraints (SIR). Airbags are designed to complement the seatbelts in case of a collision. The airbag is very useful and approximately 400 lives are saved per year. Also, case studies show that the fatality percentage in case of a car accident is reduced by 8 percent. So this device is a must-have for any car. Almost all car producers implement airbags in most of their car designs so you can be better defended against injuries to the head and/or upper body.
How do airbags work? Well, the concept is fairly simple. Basically, a small device called accelerometer triggers the ignition of a propellant. The propellant is a gas generator. It inflates a nylon bag in just a few fractions of a second. The inflated nylon bag helps reduce the acceleration of the passenger in case of a quick stop caused by a collision. The bag also has some small ventilation holes that permit the air to slowly get out of the bag when the passenger pushes against it. The car has some different sensors that all send signals to a microprocessor. The microprocessor calculates the severity of the impact and even the angle. Depending on the results, the microprocessor takes the decision if to inflate the airbags or not. In case of a small speed collision the airbags will not be deployed because the seatbelts are enough to ensure the passenger’s safety. Also, the airbags are not deployed because the interior of the car can be damaged. In most cases, the decision to inflate an airbag in case of a frontal collision is taken in 15 to 30 milliseconds after the contact. Both the driver and passenger airbags are inflated in 60-80 milliseconds after the first moment of the vehicle collision. So this means that when you are pushed forward, the airbag is already fully inflated and ready to defend you against injury.
Airbags are designed to deploy in cases of frontal or near-frontal collisions. To make an idea of the speeds at which the airbags will inflate, if your car hits a parked car at about 48 km/h, the airbags will be deployed. This is because the car can take a part of the collision force and seatbelts can also minimize the risks. Airbags are deployed when the microcontroller takes the decision that the seatbelts are not enough to ensure the passenger’s safety. With an average deployment time of 0.05 seconds, the passengers are well protected in case of a collision. Once inflated, the airbags quickly start to let the gas escape through the small vents. After the deployment, dust-like particles and gases are released in the interior of the car. These particles are harmless and the worst thing that could happen is a small irritation of the eyes and/or throat. People with asthma can suffer an asthmatic attack.
The use of airbags is now mandatory. All car producers include airbags in the car’s design and you can rarely find a car that does not have this life-saving system. However, side-impact airbags are optional. These airbags are placed in the roof rail above the doors and inflate near the windows. Some are even mounted inside the door panel. Side-impact airbags help secure the passenger’s head and upper body inside the car in case of a side collision and reduce the injuries in case of rollover car crashes. A study shows that side-impact airbags reduce brain injury and fatalities with approximately 45%.
Overall, airbags help secure the passenger’s head and upper body in case of an accident. These devices help assure that these parts do not hit any of the interior parts of the car when a crash occurs. Side-impact airbags insure protection in side collisions and rollover crashes while the front airbags defend the passenger from injures to the head and/or chest. For about $500 you can get airbags that can possibly save you life in a car accident. Considering this, $500 is a small price for a life.
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