Airbags are one of the most important safety innovations of recent decades.
- Airbags provide crucial cushioning for people during a crash. They’re normally hidden but inflate instantly when a crash begins.
- 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 (Kahane, 2015).
- 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 (McCartt & Kyrychenko, 2007).
Engineers keep finding new ways to use airbags.
- Rear-window curtain airbags are designed to protect people in back seats in rear-end crashes.
- Front-center airbags keep drivers and front-seat passengers from hitting each other in a crash.
- Inflatable safety belts are aimed at reducing rear-seat chest injuries.
Source: Insurance Information Institute, “Airbags.” iihs.org website. Accessed February 12, 2020. http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/airbags/topicoverview
© Copyright 2020. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.