AIR bags
Air bags help reduce the likelihood of injury of an occupant of a car. They increase the time taken for the head's momentum to reach zero, therefore reducing force on impact. They also act as a soft cushion, which reduces cuts. Depending on the speed of the car during the crash, front air bags inflate to prevent occupants from hitting the dashboard, steering wheel, and windshield. Side air bags reduce the risk of occupants impact to the doors or objects that come through the doors. Since the 1980s airbags have saved thousands of lives. Air bags are made of thin, nylon fabric and in the case of an accident a sensor tells the bag to inflate. It detects a collision force equal to running into a brick wall at 16 to 24 kph. The first air bag was invented in 1968 by Allen Breed and was first seen in 1981 in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class. When properly installed the driver's airbag and passenger's airbag reduce the risk of death of the driver and passenger of the car by approximately 5-10%. Curtain airbags reduce the risk of injury by approximately 45%.