Seatbelts and Airbags
Seatbelts
Today, seat belts are an accepted part of routine vehicle operation for millions of drivers and passengers. But the modern three-point automotive seat belt has only been around since 1959 - and it's saved thousands of lives since its introduction. The three-point seat belt was the brainchild of Swedish aircraft engineer Nils Ivar Bohlin, who, ironically, spent the early years of his career designing aircraft ejector seats. He designed the belt as a combination lap and diagonal belt positioned across the pelvic and rib cage.
Newton's first law tells us that an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Inertia is the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion. Inertia increases as mass increases. All cars do have Inertia because mass is the measure of Inertia and all cars have mass. Everything that has mass has Inertia. Of course, a person always has Inertia too, because a person always has mass. The first law of motion affects us when we are in a moving vehicle because, no matter how fast the car is moving, we will be moving that fast also. Things have the tendency to keep doing what they are currently doing.
Seatbelts and airbags can help protect people from this danger. Seatbelts safely provide an outside force that can stop or slow down your body when the car stops or slows down airbags work by increasing the time of impact and decreasing the force of impact thus stopping you from getting hurt and being killed.
As with any safety system, seat belt performance is dependent on proper use and fit. If the belt is not positioned correctly on the vehicle occupant's body, it can fail to provide adequate safety in the event of a collision or rapid deceleration.
Usage of seatbelt is all about driver and his moral response. Nobody can force a person to wear seatbelt, the only thing that can help is raise of awareness by creating advertisement that can show outcomes of not buckling up. Politicians can also take action in bringing the message to society. Laws have been created to strict the usage of seatbelts on roads and give fine if that law was broken. New laws can make people follow those rules and in the end reduce number of death cases in car crashes.
Newton's first law tells us that an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Inertia is the resistance an object has to a change in its state of motion. Inertia increases as mass increases. All cars do have Inertia because mass is the measure of Inertia and all cars have mass. Everything that has mass has Inertia. Of course, a person always has Inertia too, because a person always has mass. The first law of motion affects us when we are in a moving vehicle because, no matter how fast the car is moving, we will be moving that fast also. Things have the tendency to keep doing what they are currently doing.
Seatbelts and airbags can help protect people from this danger. Seatbelts safely provide an outside force that can stop or slow down your body when the car stops or slows down airbags work by increasing the time of impact and decreasing the force of impact thus stopping you from getting hurt and being killed.
As with any safety system, seat belt performance is dependent on proper use and fit. If the belt is not positioned correctly on the vehicle occupant's body, it can fail to provide adequate safety in the event of a collision or rapid deceleration.
Usage of seatbelt is all about driver and his moral response. Nobody can force a person to wear seatbelt, the only thing that can help is raise of awareness by creating advertisement that can show outcomes of not buckling up. Politicians can also take action in bringing the message to society. Laws have been created to strict the usage of seatbelts on roads and give fine if that law was broken. New laws can make people follow those rules and in the end reduce number of death cases in car crashes.
Airbags
The term “airbag” itself is misleading since there’s no significant “air” in these cushions. They are, instead, shaped and vented nylon-fabric pillows that fill, when deployed, with nitrogen gas. They are designed to supplement seatbelt restraints and help distribute the load exerted on a human body during an accident to minimize the deceleration rate and likelihood of injury.
To decide if bag deployment is warranted, the sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) considers signals from multiple accelerometers and door-pressure sensors. If the algorithm commands an airbag deployment and the arming function in the SDM concurs, electrical power is provided to the airbags to begin deployment. All that generally happens within 8 to 40 milliseconds of the initial impact.
Manufacturers use different chemical stews to fill their airbags. Sodium azide, the original preferred chemical, has been superseded by less toxic gas-generating material. The solid chemical mix is held in what is basically a small tray. When the mechanism is triggered, an electric charge heats up a small filament to ignite the chemicals and a rapid reaction produces a lot of nitrogen gas.
In addition, side airbags can provide a cushion between bodies and intruding SUVs. There was about a 45 percent reduction in fatal injuries for vehicles that are equipped with side airbags. As mentioned above, airbags can be part of political law too. All cars must have front and side airbags installed, otherwise a fine will be charged. This will reduce number of deaths, but it is not that important as it was 20 years ago, because nowadays manufactures understand what financial damage can absence of airbags do to their car market.
To decide if bag deployment is warranted, the sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) considers signals from multiple accelerometers and door-pressure sensors. If the algorithm commands an airbag deployment and the arming function in the SDM concurs, electrical power is provided to the airbags to begin deployment. All that generally happens within 8 to 40 milliseconds of the initial impact.
Manufacturers use different chemical stews to fill their airbags. Sodium azide, the original preferred chemical, has been superseded by less toxic gas-generating material. The solid chemical mix is held in what is basically a small tray. When the mechanism is triggered, an electric charge heats up a small filament to ignite the chemicals and a rapid reaction produces a lot of nitrogen gas.
In addition, side airbags can provide a cushion between bodies and intruding SUVs. There was about a 45 percent reduction in fatal injuries for vehicles that are equipped with side airbags. As mentioned above, airbags can be part of political law too. All cars must have front and side airbags installed, otherwise a fine will be charged. This will reduce number of deaths, but it is not that important as it was 20 years ago, because nowadays manufactures understand what financial damage can absence of airbags do to their car market.