Many drivers think of their car's airbags as just another standard piece of equipment, like say its steering wheel or shift knob. And while that certainly is the case now, it may surprise people to learn that it actually took nearly 30 years before the airbag became as commonplace as it is today.
The Idea
The airbag’s journey started in 1952 when retired industrial engineering technician, John W. Hetrick, went for a Sunday drive with his wife and daughter. As he tells it, about halfway through their drive, they came upon a large rock near the road. As Hetrick swerved to avoid it, he accidentally ran the car into a ditch.
"As I applied the brakes, both my wife and I threw our hands up to keep our daughter from hitting the dashboard ... during the ride home, I couldn't stop thinking about the accident. I asked myself: 'Why couldn't some object come out to stop you from striking the inside of the car?'" he said later.
The Pitfalls
Hetrick began sketching the first incarnation of what would eventually become the airbag. Hetrick patented his “safety cushion” in 1953, with the automotive industry following his lead in the following months in trying to find innovative ways to protect people during a crash. However, Hetrick’s invention – for which, ironically, he never saw a dime – came with several roadblocks when automotive designers began trying to put them into cars. The biggest pitfalls were being able to detect when a crash occurred and having the bags inflate fast enough.
The Safety Standard
It would take nearly ten more years for the auto industry to find an acceptable sensor and detonator to meet the above requirements. And it would take nearly ten years after that – in 1974 – before the first effective airbag system was introduced to the public. What may surprise people the most is that it wasn't until 1998 that it became law in the United States for all automobiles to have driver’s side and passenger side airbags. Now, 17 years later, the airbag is the most common safety equipment in cars around the world. The U.S. government estimates that airbags have saved over 15,000 lives in the last twenty years in just the U.S. alone.
Automotive safety tech has come a long way since that sunny Sunday afternoon in 1952. It will be fascinating to see how the airbag continues to evolve over the coming years, and what other innovative inventions will make us even safer on the road.
