Focus On Safety: Air Bags

By Scott Memmer

Although the air bag has taken some heat in recent years, it continues to play a vital role in protecting drivers. Used properly, it still offers the best second line of defense (the first being the traditional three-point seat belt; see Edmunds.com safety belts) against serious injury and even death.

But there are concerns. Since 1990, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recorded 148 fatalities (82 children, 62 adults) in the United States as a result of an air bag deployment. Weighed against 3.3 million air bag deployments and more than 4,800 lives saved (1048 in 1998 alone), it's clear the advantages outweigh the dangers. But what of the risks? Are new technologies on the way to make the air bag safer?

The answer to that last question is a resounding yes and is already taking place. But before we get to that, let's review how we got here. You might be surprised to learn that it was federal regulators -- remember, those folks in Washington we pay to protect us? -- who were largely responsible for the mayhem.

The idea for the air bag goes back to the '60s and '70s. Researchers had long been searching for a device to reduce head injuries during high-impact auto accidents. Head trauma causes thousands of deaths a year, and it was believed that a cushion of air inserted between the dashboard and the occupants could markedly reduce head injuries. Decades of research went into the development of the first air bag.

Researchers had several worries, though; the chief among them being that a balloon designed to inflate in one-twenty-fifth of a second and thrust out toward the occupants at upwards of 200 mph was basically a Saturn rocket with the first stage gone. Anyone with his head near the device could -- and as it occurred, did -- get blown away. Early research indicated a very real possibility of injury, particularly to the young and those of smaller stature.

Still, there's good news in all this. Used properly, an air bag will almost certainly save your life. And in 1996 Congress passed a measure to correct for past NHTSA oversights. The new law granted car manufacturers permission to install cut-off switches and lower-impact air bags (20-35 percent less powerful than their predecessors) in new vehicles, and also gave consumers the right to have dealers disconnect their older, higher-deploying air bags.

Which brings us to the present. What does the future hold for the air bag? Well, the future is now. In 1999, car manufacturers, with Mercedes and Volvo leading the way, began installing what may rightly be called "third-generation" air bags. These devices, known in the industry as "smart air bags" (not to be confused with "smart bombs") sense such things as body weight, speed at impact, etc., to adjust the force of air bag deployment automatically. These "smart bags," developed by such firms as TRW, Morton and others, offer yet another level of protection above conventional bags by automatically "sensing" when to step down the force of impact, thereby reducing the risk to the vehicle's most important cargo -- the people riding inside the car.

Currently appearing in Volvos and other cars as a dual threshold system, these smart bags will become, in the next few years, a sort of infinitely variable technology that will constantly monitor all kinds of data, preparing the motorist for the impact which, in the life of most drivers, never occurs. Also, starting with 2000 models, Mercedes is offering BabySmart technology, which deactivates the passenger-side front air bag automatically when a special BabySmart child seat is placed in the car.

Neat stuff. And more to follow. With front, side and rear-seat air bags already a reality, what's next? Soon to come: knee air bags, foot air bags, ankle air bags -- you may even have an air bag for your pinkie someday. In fact, it's getting easier to envision an automotive future where, like the kid in Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble," we'll cruise along in an invisible, ever-present balloon of protection ready to spring forth at the first sign of trouble. Lasers in the jungle and all that.

So the days of miracle and wonder may not be that far off. But even in this era of second- and third-generation airbags, it's important to remember the ABCs of safe air bag use, as set forth by the National Safety Council:

Always slide the seat back as far as possible (while still reaching the pedals adequately) and sit back; Buckle everyone; Children 12 and under ride restrained properly in the back seat.

We'll keep you posted on new developments.

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