Research about rotational inertia and airbags found in cars
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Research about rotational inertia and airbags found in cars
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Introduction: Airbags Improve Automobile Safety
The Safety Advantage of Airbags
The development of airbags began with the idea for a system that would restrain automobile drivers and passengers in an accident, even if they were not wearing seat belts. Today, airbags are mandatory in new cars and are designed to act as a supplemental safety device in addition to a seat belt. Airbags have been commonly available since the late 1980's; however, they were first invented and patented in 1953. In the late 1950's, the automobile industry started to research airbags and soon discovered that there were many difficulties in the development of a successful airbag. Crash tests showed that for an airbag to be useful as a protective device, the bag must deploy and inflate within 40 milliseconds. The system must also be able to detect the difference between a severe crash and a minor fender-bender. These technological difficulties account for the 30-year span between the first patent and the common availability of airbags.
Airbags have indeed saved lives and have lowered the number of severe injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the combination of an airbag plus a lap/shoulder belt reduces the risk of serious head injury by 85 percent compared with a 60 percentage reduction for belts alone. These statistics are continuing to improve as airbags become more widely used. In recent years, increased reports in the media concerning deaths or serious injuries due to airbag deployment have led to a national discussion about the "safety" of airbags. Hence, there is still a need for development of better airbags that do not cause injuries. Also, better public understanding of how airbags work will help people to make informed and potentially life-saving decisions about using airbags.