Air Bag Safety

Air bags can be a life-saving component of your vehicle’s safety systems. Here at LotPro.com, we want to make sure that you’re using them correctly.

A Brief History of the Air Bag

The automotive airbag was invented by John Hetrick in 1952, while the first consumer application of the device was done by General Motors in 1973 when it offered dual airbags on certain 1974 models (Buicks, Cadillacs and Oldsmobiles) as an option. GM vehicles equipped with this option did not have shoulder belts, since the airbags were designed to replace them.

This brief experiment lasted only a few years (Ford also sold single airbag-equipped vehicles during this time) and it wasn’t until 1980 that Mercedes-Benz began offering one on its S-Class as part of a safety system that included seat belts with pre-tensioners.

By 1989, all vehicles in the United States were mandated to either have airbags or automatic seatbelts (a hideous invention that incited consumer revolt and a solution soon abandoned by auto companies).

The key word is “supplemental”

Today, every vehicle sold in the U.S. of A. has both driver and front passenger airbags. A growing percentage of new vehicles have, in addition, side front airbags (for additional front seat protection) as well as front and rear “curtain” airbags, designed to further protect both front and rear seat passengers.

While airbag technology has become more sophisticated, it is important to realize that they are only one piece of the SRS puzzle. SRS, by the way, stands for supplemental restraint system. In other words, airbags are designed to work with seat belts, anti-lock brakes and other forms of vehicle stability control. By themselves, they are less than effecting and can be, depending upon the circumstances, both dangerous and life-threatening.

The Rules of the Road

1. Use your lap/shoulder belt for every trip – As previously stated, airbags only work effectively when occupants are safely belted in. Occupants not buckled up become projectiles in the event of a collision. The belt should be work below the abdomen and low across the hips. In most vehicles, the shoulder belt height can be adjusted so that it lies across the collar bone and away from the neck.
2. Children 12 and under should ride properly buckled up in the rear seat. Under no circumstances should an infant ride in the front seat in a rear-facing child seat.
3. If a child over 1 year old must ride in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with a passenger side air bag, the child must be in a front facing child seat, a booster seat or a proper fitting lap/shoulder belt with the seat moved back as far as possible.

At LotPro.com, we want you to have a safe summer.

Here at LotPro.com, we know that you can have the safest vehicle in the world, but all that safety is useless unless you use it. So use your seat belts and have a safe, enjoyable summer!

Tags: airbags, buick, cadillac, Ford, front side airbags, general motors, Mercedes-Benz, s-class, seat belts, side curtain airbags, srs