The Evolution of Airbags
1950s
In 1952 the Idea of the airbag was put forward by John W. Hetrick, after almost having a devastating car accident that put him and his family at risk. But it took almost 30 years to gain public support. Both Ford and General Motors began to experiment with air bag designs in the late 1950's. The development of the airbag slowed down after these companies realised the complexity of the design.
1960s
In 1966 Ford/Eaton gained knowledge of a military detonating valve that used an airbag to fire, and how it could be adapted to be a safety device in a car. They applied this design to their cars and had success in the testing phase.
1970s
Ford decided that it would use the safety device in its 1971 line of fullsize Fords and Mercurys. But this plan was put aside because of how hard it would be to mass produce this safety feature, and the fact that a child would receive a fatal blow from the inflation.
General Motors produced their own design and installed this system in 1000 Chevrolet Impalas in 1973. General Motors hoped that their breakthrough technology would sell, and they were intending to install Airbags into 10,000 of their Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac cars, every year between 1974 and 1976. However, it did not sell, and the airbag safety program at general motors ended.
1980s
in 1984 Mercedes-Benz offered airbags as an option in their newer model cars. It did not take long for the airbag to become a standard component of all Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Mercedes-Benz later announced that there was an option for a passenger side airbag, this was put forward in 1986. This spurred on General Motors to start up their airbag safety program again.
1990s
In the year 1990 the US government passed a law that stated that all new cars sold had to be equipped with either an air bag or automatic seat belts. In 1998 the law was changed and all new vehicles required both driver's side and passenger air bags.
The evolution of the airbag has been a long journey, and after repeated setbacks, the airbag has finally gained support and is seen as one of the most important safety features in vehicles today. The airbag has saved thousands of lives and will no doubt continue to do so.
In 1952 the Idea of the airbag was put forward by John W. Hetrick, after almost having a devastating car accident that put him and his family at risk. But it took almost 30 years to gain public support. Both Ford and General Motors began to experiment with air bag designs in the late 1950's. The development of the airbag slowed down after these companies realised the complexity of the design.
1960s
In 1966 Ford/Eaton gained knowledge of a military detonating valve that used an airbag to fire, and how it could be adapted to be a safety device in a car. They applied this design to their cars and had success in the testing phase.
1970s
Ford decided that it would use the safety device in its 1971 line of fullsize Fords and Mercurys. But this plan was put aside because of how hard it would be to mass produce this safety feature, and the fact that a child would receive a fatal blow from the inflation.
General Motors produced their own design and installed this system in 1000 Chevrolet Impalas in 1973. General Motors hoped that their breakthrough technology would sell, and they were intending to install Airbags into 10,000 of their Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac cars, every year between 1974 and 1976. However, it did not sell, and the airbag safety program at general motors ended.
1980s
in 1984 Mercedes-Benz offered airbags as an option in their newer model cars. It did not take long for the airbag to become a standard component of all Mercedes-Benz automobiles. Mercedes-Benz later announced that there was an option for a passenger side airbag, this was put forward in 1986. This spurred on General Motors to start up their airbag safety program again.
1990s
In the year 1990 the US government passed a law that stated that all new cars sold had to be equipped with either an air bag or automatic seat belts. In 1998 the law was changed and all new vehicles required both driver's side and passenger air bags.
The evolution of the airbag has been a long journey, and after repeated setbacks, the airbag has finally gained support and is seen as one of the most important safety features in vehicles today. The airbag has saved thousands of lives and will no doubt continue to do so.
Evolution of Front AirBags 2009, CUDL Auto Smart, accessed 8 April 2015, <]http://www.cudlautosmart.com/Research/Article.aspx?pageId=316&articleId=20>.
Dirksen, S n.d., The Evolution of Airbags, Web.bryant, accessed 8 April 2015, <http://web.bryant.edu/~ehu/h364proj/sprg_97/dirksen/airbags.html>.