Want to Become A Collision Estimator? Here’s All You Need to Know About External Airbags
Cars are becoming modernized in so many ways lately — even their airbags. In fact, the development of external airbags is underway to keep not only drivers and their passengers safe, but pedestrians as well.
With external airbags in place on the outside of the vehicle, pedestrian accidents can be severely reduced or mitigated, and help make roads safer for everyone as a result. Not only could external airbags be placed on the front of a car to protect pedestrians, but also on the sides to prevent side collisions.
If you want further proof as to how much the automotive world is thinking about the future, look no further than this innovation. Here’s why external airbags are important to learn about as a collision estimator.
How External Airbags Work, Explained for Those with Auto Careers
Placed below a car’s windshield or sides on its exterior, external airbags are deployed to help protect both the car itself, and other vehicles and pedestrians that come into close contact with it.
Upon sensing a potential collision with a pedestrian, the external airbag will activate and deploy itself to provide pedestrians with a softer surface to fall back on mid-collision and prevent possible injury or car damage.
Those pursuing a career as a collision estimator should know that this is also the case with cars that have external airbags on the sides. These systems utilize sensors from the car to detect oncoming side collisions and deploy the airbags from the sills below the vehicle’s side doors.
The Ongoing Development of External Airbags, and Who’s Doing It
Several companies have made strides over the years with regards to developing external airbag technology for vehicles. For example, the first pedestrian airbag for public use was developed by Volvo back in 2012 and launched the following year.
Google would also experiment with it three years later, after having a patent for an external airbag to be placed in the bumper of their autonomous cars approved. This is so that a spring-back effect is prevented for the pedestrian, with its placement on the bumper allowing the airbag to be deployed toward their legs.
German auto parts supplier ZF is also actively developing external airbag technology, specifically side airbags that deploy within a 20 to 30-millisecond span to protect cars from T-bone collisions.
Why Are External Airbags Beneficial for Cars?
Most professionals in auto careers can recognize the benefits of external airbags for pedestrian safety, particularly with regards to city driving. For one, the force of a car hitting external airbags from the side can be distributed more evenly within the airbag, helping to minimize possible injury and damage.
By doing this, the impact of a collision is not fully concentrated in the area where the force is felt. More specifically, side external airbags can mitigate the impact of side collisions (and resulting injuries) by close to 40%. In other words, airbags aren’t simply for drivers or passengers anymore — and that’s a good thing.
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