Airbags: Pros, Cons, History, and Statistics

909 Words2 Pages

Airbags have been around for a long while. They have a fascinating history in production, statistical information and safety measures. Various theories have been told about them in the sense of them being made because of different reasons. People use them on a daily basis and they are now very treasured. Airbags are a great life saver. Airbags have been around ever since a smart man, John Hetrick, got in a family car accident. He thought of the idea of an airbag and got the first patent in 1953. (ConsumerAffairs) This man has been accredited for this invention and cherished by many people. What a hero he is? Even though there was a patent made in 1953, there were several years of collaboration on how the airbag would actually work after the patent was made, but in 1971 the first one was installed in a Ford vehicle then later discontinued. (Dirksen, Stephen) For a long while after the first one was ever installed they were not mandatory to have. But, on Sept 1, 1998 congress passed a law stating that all cars and light truck must have airbags on both sides of the front seat(driver and passenger).(HistoryChannel) Airbags are a great invention but have a downfall as well. Have airbags ever been recalled? Yes, airbags were recalled quite often b/n 2000-2004, in recent years the recall numbers have been a lot lower due to all of the safety checks now done. (NHTSA via SaferCar) Airbags have come a long way since they were first made. Most cars now have more than one. Production is a very advanced process for the upgraded airbags. But before assembled they have to be made. Airbags have 4 main steps until completion, the first step creating the propellant, next is the assembly of the inflator, thirdly the airbag canvas is produced, a... ... middle of paper ... .../index?qid=20080705172751AA3KZh0>. "ON-OFF Switch FAQ ." Home. Web. 09 May 2014. . Rampur, Stephen. "How Do Airbags Work." Buzzle. Buzzle.com. Web. 09 May 2014. . "Research." Research. Web. 09 May 2014. . "A Short History of the Airbag." ConsumerAffairs. Web. 09 May 2014. . "Statistical Information." NHTSA. NHTSA. Web. 7 May 2014. . Web. 09 May 2014. . "Who Are the Most Popular Airbag Manufacturers?" CarsDirect. Web. 07 May 2014. .

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