Though airbags were first used in the seventies , it took quite some time for them to earn a reputation as a worthwhile guard gadget . When airbags were present , bottom belt exercise was n’t common , and well - meaning safety equipment engineers think airbags might be a benefit for mass who could n’t be get to to buckle up . As we now know , airbags work well when the seat ’s occupant is properly restrained ; otherwise , the force of the udder ’s outward deployment is incredibly life-threatening to a person who is simultaneously being thrust forward into the bag ’s itinerary . These airbags were n’t part of a comprehensive safety organization and were n’t well researched , and they earned a bad reputation , although it ’s hard to tally motorcar collision fatalities blamed on airbags when the victims were n’t wearingseat belts .
Airbag counsellor did n’t give up , though . Front airbags became mandatory in the United States in 1996 , and that epoch is what automakers and automobile experts more often than not refer to as " first generation " airbags . A lot of thing were figured out in those 20 or so year . However , airbags still were n’t unfailing , and auto manufacturers were afraid of the bad press that would be triggered by fatal airbag deployment . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ’s disk show that in 1997 , 53 people were killed by the deployment of the front seat airbags in a clangor [ source : Edmunds ] . Of those fatalities , 31 were child , which led to further overhaul of safety regulations and the modification of airbag force . However , these modified airbag deployments were still dangerous to children because their body are too pocket-size to cover that amount of personnel . One solution was to urge that children sit down in the back derriere , with age - appropriatecar seatsor boosters , if necessary .
" modern " and " saucy " airbags enter the stadium in the early 2000s , ushered in by even more safety regulations as well as red-hot competition for cars with the good condom rankings . railroad car manufacturing business were then required to fit front seats with sensors that could estimate the size and weight of the occupier , and adjust the violence of the airbag ’s deployment accordingly . Many of these systems were inaccurate , but the manufacturers step by step got it correct . And it was n’t just front airbags , either . Rear , side and drapery ( or over the window ) airbags joined the ranks . These unexampled airbags had more accurate deployment organization and featured multiple chamber that were less likely to snap .
By this metre , it had been demonstrate that more forward-looking airbags actually improved condom in car clangour . There were still more problem forrader , though . In 2014 , the Japan - based OEM provider Takata , which makes airbags for almost every major motorcar manufacturer , accept that there were timber dominance problems , lead to widespread recalls of recent example year vehicle . The flaw would cause airbags to overinflate , making them prone to explosion . Takata later said that additional flaws in some manakin extend back as far as 2000 . The recent Takata recollection indicate that airbag technology may never be perfect , but they ’re far from the death yap they used to be .
