The second driver-side and separate knee airbag was used in the Kia Sportage SUV and has been standard equipment since then. The airbag is located beneath the steering wheel. [82] [83] Deployed passenger knee airbag in a Toyota Tundra after a frontal collision test, the driver-side knee airbag was also deployed. Blue and yellow markings indicate the dummy's knees. There are ongoing efforts to find alternative compounds so that airbags have less toxic reactants. [109] In a journal article by Akiyoshi et al., it was found that for the reaction of the Sr complex nitrate, (Sr(NH 2NHCONHNH 2)∙(NO 3) 2) of carbohydrazide (SrCDH) with various oxidizing agents resulted in the evolution of N 2 and CO 2 gases. Using KBrO 3 as the oxidizing agent resulted in the most vigorous reaction as well as the lowest initial temperature of the reaction. The N 2 and CO 2 gases evolved made up 99% of all gases evolved. [110] Nearly all the starting materials will not decompose until reaching temperatures of 500°C or higher, so this could be a viable option as an airbag gas generator. Swedish company Autoliv AB was granted a patent on side-impact airbags, and they were first offered as an option in 1994 [73] on the 1995 Volvo 850, and as standard equipment on all Volvo cars made after 1995. [73] OH-58D Kiowa Warrior". fas.org. 29 May 2000. Archived from the original on 14 October 2006 . Retrieved 16 March 2014. Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology – Subaru Legend airbag system". Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014 . Retrieved 16 March 2014.

U.S. patent 6272412 – Passive restraint control system for vehicles". patentstorm.us. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011 . Retrieved 17 October 2010.

How effective are they?

Above: Controlled atmosphere optimum transport conditions. Source: www.carrier.com (cited from University of California at Davis and the former Davis Fresh Technologies, LLC)

McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved 28 May 2023. Jakobsson, Lotta; Lindman, Magdalena; Svanberg, Bo; Carlsson, Henrik (2010). "Real World Data Driven Evolution of Volvo Cars' Side Impact Protection Systems and their Effectiveness". Annals of Advances in Automotive Medicine / Annual Scientific Conference. 54: 127–136. ISSN 1943-2461. PMC 3242537. PMID 21050597. In Europe, airbags were almost unheard of until the early 1990s. By 1991, four manufacturers – BMW, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo – offered the airbag on some of their higher-end models, but shortly afterward, airbags became a common feature on more mainstream cars, with Ford and Vauxhall/ Opel among the manufacturers to introduce the airbag to its model ranges in 1992. Citroën, Fiat, Nissan, Hyundai, Peugeot, Renault, and Volkswagen followed shortly afterwards. Nearly all airbags are designed to automatically deploy in the event of a vehicle fire when temperatures reach 150–200°C (300–400°F). [114] This safety feature, often termed auto-ignition, helps to ensure that such temperatures do not cause an explosion of the entire airbag module.Paul, Rik (1 January 1996). "1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class – Roadtest – European Car". Motor Trend. Archived from the original on 4 March 2018 . Retrieved 11 May 2018. Air Defense concept papers". csat.au.af.mil. Archived from the original on 12 August 2010 . Retrieved 17 October 2010.

Curtain airbags– deploy from the roof or headliner above the doors and windows to protect people’s heads Airbags y ABS, sistemas obligatorios en Argentina". La Capital (in Spanish) . Retrieved 18 July 2022. When the frontal airbags are to deploy, a signal is sent to the inflator unit within the airbag control unit. An igniter starts a rapid chemical reaction generating primarily nitrogen gas (N 2) to fill the airbag making it deploy through the module cover. Some airbag technologies use compressed nitrogen or argon gas with a pyrotechnic operated valve ("hybrid gas generator"), while other technologies use various energetic propellants. Although propellants containing the highly toxic sodium azide (NaN 3) were common in early inflator designs, little to no toxic sodium azide has been found on used airbags.Exposure to very low O 2 levels may lead to anaerobic respiration (fermentation) and the accumulation of ethanol and acetaldehyde, resulting in an altered flavor and/or odor. Dual airbags mandatory for new cars from April 1- Business News". businesstoday.in. 5 March 2021 . Retrieved 6 March 2021. Khan, Moin.S (10 September 2012). "Air Bags for Automobiles". Textile Learner. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012 . Retrieved 22 September 2016.

Although the millions of installed airbags in use have an excellent safety record, some limitations on their ability to protect car occupants exist. The original implementation of front airbags did little to protect against side collisions, which can be more dangerous than frontal collisions because the protective crumple zone in front of the passenger compartment is completely bypassed. Side airbags and protective airbag curtains are increasingly being required in modern vehicles to protect against this very common category of collisions. U.S. air bag history". motorvista.com. 2000. Archived from the original on 22 February 2001 . Retrieved 16 March 2014.Shaw, William H. (2011). Business ethics. Wadsworth/Cengage. p.220. ISBN 9780495808763 . Retrieved 16 March 2014. Side airbags– these inflate from the doors of the car if the impact sensors detect a lateral, or side-on collision Iglesias, Denís (10 October 2017). "Latin NCAP: los vehículos de Latinoamérica, dos décadas por detrás en seguridad"[Latin NCAP: Latin American vehicles, two decades behind in safety]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Spain . Retrieved 24 July 2023.