Airbags are vehicle occupant-restraint systems that use a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly and then quickly deflate during a collision. They are passive car safety devices that provide added protection to that provided by seat belts. Airbags consist of a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. The purpose of an airbag is to provide a vehicle occupant with soft cushioning and restraint during a collision, reducing injuries between the flailing occupant and the interior of the vehicle. Airbags reduce the chance that your upper body or head will strike the vehicles interior during a crash. Airbags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them.
There are different types of airbags available in U.S. cars, including front airbags, side-impact airbags, knee airbags, and side-curtain airbags. Front airbags have been required in all new passenger vehicles since the 1999 model year. Side airbags aren’t specifically mandated, but nearly all manufacturers include them as standard equipment in order to meet federal side protection requirements. Both front and side airbags save lives. Front airbags reduce driver fatalities in frontal crashes by 29 percent and fatalities of front-seat passengers age 13 and older by 32 percent. Side airbags that protect the head reduce a car driver’s risk of death in driver-side crashes by 37 percent and an SUV driver’s risk by 52 percent.
Airbags inflate rapidly on any impact and keep the passenger from hitting the vehicle interior or objects outside the vehicle. A chemical reaction produces a burst of nitrogen to inflate the bag, and once an airbag deploys, deflation begins immediately as the gas escapes through vent(s) in the fabric. The chemical used in airbags is sodium azide, which produces nitrogen gas when ignited. Nitrogen is an inert, safe gas and poses no dangers. Despite the name, airbags are not like balloons. They deploy at a very high velocity and can cause injuries. Injury is more likely if the passenger is leaning forward and is close to the airbag when it begins deployment.
