Com 150 Final Essay Essay

As a victim of a severe car accident, I am living proof of how airbags and seatbelts can save your life. There are speculations that airbags are not always safe and there are cases in which the airbags have caused injury but there are more cases where airbags prevented injury. The technology behind airbags, in association with seatbelts, has improved over the years but can only save your life if you use them correctly, and practice safe driving techniques. It is important to understand the purpose of the airbag and how it is designed to save your life and prevent injury.
In 1971, Ford Car Company created an experimental fleet of airbags, which would be tested by General Motors. The 1973, Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public. ( Bellis, M.. The History of Airbags. Retrieved June 17, 2009, from About.com:   http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/air_bags.htm) Because of the amount of fatalities caused solely by the airbags, they stopped production of them and were not used again until 1984 and have been mandatory in all vehicles since 1998. Technological advancements in frontal airbags include a sensor that can detect where the driver or passenger is sitting and adjust the intensity of the inflation accordingly. Other sensors can detect occupant size, seatbelt use of the occupant, and crash severity. Side-impact airbags work similar to the airbags in the front but are designed to protect the occupant’s head, from broken glass, and chest in the event of a side impact.
Airbag technology is constantly advancing. Rumors of a safety belt airbag is being developed that would provide protection for all occupants in a crash. It would work by inflating the torso portion of the belt in the event of a crash. A pedestrian airbag is also being developed to deploy on the outside of a vehicle. Airbags would be installed at each windshield pillar to provide head protection to a struck pedestrian. In as...