Airbag

An airbag is an inflatable vehicle-safety cushion that deploys rapidly during a collision, reducing occupants’ impact with the vehicle’s interior by spreading forces and cushioning motion.

Crash sensor: A device that detects collision-related acceleration or pressure and signals a vehicle safety system. It helps distinguish a crash requiring deployment from ordinary driving impacts.
Seat belt: A vehicle restraint that holds occupants in place during sudden motion or a collision. It restrains the body while the airbag cushions the remaining forward movement.
Frontal airbag: An airbag designed to protect occupants in frontal collisions. It cushions forward motion toward the steering wheel or dashboard.
John W. Hetrick: An American engineer who patented an inflatable automotive safety cushion in 1953. His patent described an early design for cushioning vehicle occupants in collisions.
Seat belt-only restraint: An occupant restraint approach that relies on seat belts without airbags. Unlike airbag-equipped systems, it lacks a deployable cushion for impact management.
Airbag inflator: A device that rapidly generates or releases gas to inflate an airbag. Its gas output fills the cushion within milliseconds after a deployment signal.
Supplemental Restraint System: A vehicle safety system that supplements seat belts with devices such as airbags and pretensioners. Airbags are designed to complement, not replace, this broader restraint system.
Side airbag: An airbag designed to protect occupants during side-impact collisions. It deploys beside the occupant, where little space separates people from the vehicle structure.
Walter Linderer: A German engineer who patented an early compressed-air automotive airbag design in 1951. His work was among the earliest patents for an inflatable vehicle restraint.
Active safety: Vehicle technologies intended to prevent crashes or reduce their likelihood. Airbags mitigate injury after a collision begins rather than preventing the collision.

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