The designers of modern cars are focusing more and more on road safety. Accidents are simulated again and again with different dummies, exactly modeled on different people, in order to develop improvements to the vehicles. This increases the safety of driving for each individual. Different accident situations require differentiated safety precautions in order to minimize the number of injuries and fatalities in road traffic. Airbags were created in this course a few years ago. At first only in the front area by the driver, later also by the front passenger, they are intended to protect the occupants in the event of a rear-end collision. The airbag is part of the occupant restraint system in the vehicle and, in the event of an accident, opens within 20 to 50 milliseconds with a bang between vehicle interior parts and occupants. Somewhat later, other airbags were developed to protect the head and sides of the vehicle. Nowadays, in every new car you will find at least the two front airbags, in mid-range cars also side airbags in addition and in the higher class of course all types of airbags, whereby, depending on the angle of the collision and vehicle deceleration, only certain airbags open. The airbag serves as additional safety, but does not replace the safety belt. According to statistics, the airbags increase the chance of survival of the belted occupants by 30%.
New development in the history of airbags
One of the latest developments in airbags are the seat cushion airbags or anti-submarining airbags. They are located on the front seats in the front area and prevent slipping through the seat belt, thus eliminating the risk of sliding down into the front of the vehicle. This new airbag was developed by Renault in 2002 and is made of metal, which is mounted in the seat frame under the seat of the driver or front passenger. This is the world's first airbag that does not come into direct contact with the occupants as it is integrated into the steel frame. 0.3 mm thick sheets are welded together to form a closed container. Presented for the first time as a world first in the new Megane, it functions in the same way as conventional other airbags. In the event of a collision, two stages are activated simultaneously. The metal airbag is inflated with the help of a gas generator, which then presses against the seat cushion, this forms itself according to the pool impression. An exit port provides pressure equalization inside the vehicle. A pressure against the seat belt is created and the forces on the lumbar region and abdomen that occur in an accident are reduced. Pelvic movement and stretching is also reduced. First developed for the five-door Megane, a system was quickly released for the three-door Laguna. The third generation programmed restraint system, also called PRS III, was thus optimized, because the lateral, double belt tensioner on the outside of the seat only made it unnecessarily difficult for the rear occupants to get into the seat. This belt system is only suitable for the five-door models.