Airbags are passive car safety devices. An airbag consists of a flexible cushion that inflates rapidly in the event of a collision. The purpose of an airbag is to protect the occupants of a vehicle in the case of a crash. Cars may contain several airbags in frontal and side locations. Sensors in the vehicle may deploy one or multiple airbags in zones in the car at various rates, depending on the angle, severity, and type of impact. Airbags provide supplemental protection to an occupant restrained by the car’s seatbelt. Most airbags operate only once.
Airbags are passive devices because you are not required to activate the airbag to use it. Currently, four kinds of airbags are available in U.S. cars: front airbags, side-impact airbags, knee airbags, and side-curtain airbags. The side-curtain airbags deploy to protect the head in a side-impact collision. The side-curtain airbag is an inflatable curtain that deploys from the car’s headliner and covers the windows along the side of the vehicle. This type of airbag remains deployed in a rollover and does not deflate. A side-impact airbag deploys from the door or the seat and provides protection to your torso, particularly in “T-bone” collisions when a vehicle crashes into the side of your car.
The auto industry introduced the first commercial airbag designs in the 1970s, but the general use of airbags did not begin until the late 1980s. When first introduced, airbags were known as “air cushion restraint systems.”
Since 1998, U.S. law has required front airbags for the driver and front passenger in all new vehicles.
In recent years, airbags have been the subject of frequent federal recalls due to malfunctions and improper installations, visit our recall center to see if your vehicle or one on your shopping list has been affected.
