The history of the use of airbags in cars is outlined. The airbag was invented and patented in 1953. In 1970, General Motors and Ford put airbags into a limited number of vehicles, but they were unsuccessful. In the 1980s, perceptions changed and manufacturers raced to install airbags. The quality was poor, resulting in numerous injuries and infant fatalities. Today's airbags are based on improvements in airbag design and crash detection sensors and are compulsory in new cars. It has been shown that the risk of death is 8% lower among drivers with airbags compared with those without. Two critical factors in airbag safety are position and the wearing of a seat belt. Research has concentrated on three main areas: better sensors, suppression systems and adjustable inflators.
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