Activities aimed at maintaining and improving the lifesaving benefits of air bags are in full swing.
Until recently, most of the strides made in auto safety were in front and rear impacts even though 40 percent of all serious injuries from accidents are from side impacts, and 30 percent of all accidents are side-impact collisions. But cars that currently offer side air bags represent the new wave of occupant protection. Engineers say that designing effective side air bags is much more difficult than designing front air bags. This is because much of the energy from a front-impact collision is absorbed by the bumper, hood and engine, and it takes almost 30 to 40 milliseconds before it reaches the car's occupant. In a side impact, only a relatively thin door and a few inches separate the occupant from another vehicle.