For years the seat belt was the sole devise in cars to protect you in a collision. In the 1980's the first commercial airbags were sold in cars; by 1988, all cars sold in the United States were required to have airbags in the driver and passenger sides. Airbags are safety devices in automobiles built into the dashboard, steering wheel, door, roof, or seat of your car. They are made up of a flexible envelope which use crash sensors to trigger an automatic expansion in order to protect you from the impact of an accident.
Discovery
Airbags for automobiles were introduced to the United States in the 1970's because of the concern of the low usage rates of seat belts. The airbag is based on the laws of motion. Moving objects have momentum. Unless an outside force acts on the object, they will continue to go at its constant speed and direction. A car consists of many objects; there are loose objects in the car and, of course, the passengers. If not restrained, these objects will continue at the same speed of the car, even if there is a collision. Therefore something needs to instantly restrain the passengers and objects from moving foward if a collision or accident occurs. When a car crashes, the force required to stop a passenger is very great because the cars momentum has changed instantly, while the person's has not. The airbag has a strong enough force to stop a passenger, however, is very unlikely to harm them.
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Biography of Inventor
John W. Hetrick came up with the idea of the inflated cushion through his experience with the use of compressed air in torpedoes when he was involved in the United States Navy. In 1968, Allen K. Breed was inspired by his idea to invent the airbags, now used in all United States automobiles. Breed's invention was the world's first electromechanical automotive air bag system. In 1987 Breed founded Breed Automotive to refine and market his airbag invention. The air bag is only one of two dozen auto safety inventions he has co-patented over the years.
Impact on the World/ Humanity
Air bags have had a major impact on the world and humanity in the way they have protected many possible deaths and major injuries. The seat belt is also a major restraint device, however, people have a choice not to wear their seat belts. And the rates of seat belt usage has gone down over the years. The air bag is something that is automatically triggered by a collision and is an added protection to the seat belt; especially if a passenger is not wearing their seat belt.
Journal Article Review
This journal article displays the facts that airbags reduce drivers deaths by about 14 percent and passenger deaths by about 11 percent. It also states that airbags and seat belt work together as a system; it is much safer to have an airbag and a seat belt on than just one or the other. Deaths are 12 percent lower among drivers with belts alone and 9 percent lower among passengers with belts alone.
List of References
- Airbags. (n.d.). The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://www.research.chop.edu/programs/carseat/airbags.php
- Bellis, M. (n.d.). The History of Airbags. Inventors. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/air_bags.htm
- Brain, M. (n.d.). HowStuffWorks "How Airbags Work". Howstuffworks "Auto ". Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/airbag.htm
- Inventor of the Week: Archive. (n.d.). MIT. Retrieved May 1, 2011, from http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/breed.html
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