Honda’s New Airbags Could Save More Lives

In 2017, the number of motor vehicle fatalities in Canada totaled 1,841, down 2.8% from 2016. Still, the number was far too high. It is interesting to note, that in more than half of those casualties the victims were not wearing a seatbelt.

That means the vehicle’s airbag was their only line of defence.

Since they debuted in commercial vehicles in the 1970s, there’s no denying that airbags have saved countless lives. When they were first introduced, they were typically only deployed from the dashboard and steering wheel. Then came seat-mounted and side airbags. Today, most cars are far beyond dual airbags, and often include upwards of six. Some include 8 or more!

Depending on the type of crash, airbags will balloon out of doors, footwells, seats, rear doors, and seatbelts to protect the driver. To date, statistics show that airbags reduce the risk of death in a direct frontal crash by about 30 percent.

The problem is, unless we’ve been in a collision (and we hope you haven’t!) most of us have only see airbags deployed in slow-motion on commercials. There, they look more like a soft pillow than a violent hit.

While no one is arguing that more airbags are better, their design has remained mostly unchanged. Until now.

Earlier this year, Honda developed a new front passenger airbag that they promise will better protect drivers from a variety of collisions. Most notably, it will help prevent a specific (but common) type of injury that’s occurs when a driver’s head rolls during an angled collision. Even when these types of crashes occur at lower speeds, a driver’s head can rotate fast enough to cause brain damage. This is what Honda hopes to prevent moving forward.

Engineers at Honda R&D Americas, worked closely with well-known airbag manufacturer Autoliv on their creation. The new airbag inflates to resemble a baseball catcher’s mitt, complete with three separate compartments. This helps ease and catch the passenger’s head during an impact.

Traditionally, airbags have to deploy violently to react quick enough in a crash. Thanks to a new generation of crash dummies equipped with sensors, Honda’s engineers were able to further tune the design to create a deployment mechanism that’s faster—yet gentler. To achieve this, the new airbag system uses a two-stage inflator instead of the traditional single-stage variety.

Honda’s engineers claim that the new airbag can reduce rotation-induced brain damage by up to 75 percent. If this is the case, it’s certainly a welcome change. We’ll just have to wait to see, since the airbag won’t roll out in new Honda vehicles until 2020.

What are advanced airbags?

Advanced airbags are a modern generation of vehicle airbags designed to improve occupant safety by adapting their deployment based on various factors during a crash. Unlike traditional airbags that deploy with a fixed force regardless of the crash severity or occupant characteristics, advanced airbags use sensors and smart technology to tailor their inflation to the specific conditions of the collision and the occupant’s position.

Key Features of Advanced Airbags:

1. Variable Deployment Force: The airbag inflates with different pressure levels depending on factors such as crash severity, occupant size, weight, and seating position.

2. Occupant Detection: Advanced airbags use sensors (weight sensors, seat position sensors, sometimes even cameras or radar) to detect if a seat is occupied, the occupant’s size, and their position. This helps prevent airbags from deploying unnecessarily or with excessive force.

3. Reduced Risk of Injury: By adjusting deployment, these airbags reduce the risk of airbag-related injuries, especially to smaller adults, children, or out-of-position occupants.

4. Multiple Stage Inflation: Many advanced airbags deploy in multiple stages — initially inflating gently and then adding pressure if needed — to cushion occupants more effectively.

5. Integration with Other Safety Systems: They often work in concert with seatbelt pretensioners and other restraint systems to optimize overall protection.

Why Advanced Airbags Matter:

• Safety for All Occupants: Traditional airbags were primarily designed with average-sized adult males in mind, which sometimes led to injuries in children, smaller adults, or passengers sitting too close to the airbag. Advanced airbags mitigate this issue.

• Compliance with Modern Regulations: Regulations in many countries require vehicles to have airbags that minimize harm to all types of occupants.

• Better Crash Outcome: They improve survival rates and reduce severity of injuries in crashes by adapting protection dynamically.