The first two reactions create 4 molar equivalents of nitrogen gas, and the third converts the remaining reactants to relatively inert potassium silicate and sodium silicate. The reason that KNO 3 is used rather than something like NaNO 3 is because it is less hygroscopic. The materials used in this reaction must not be hygroscopic because absorbed moisture can de-sensitize the system and cause the reaction to fail. Pedestrian Airbag Technology – a Production System" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2016 . Retrieved 4 July 2016. Above: Controlled atmosphere optimum transport conditions. Source: www.carrier.com (cited from University of California at Davis and the former Davis Fresh Technologies, LLC) U.S. air bag history". motorvista.com. 2000. Archived from the original on 22 February 2001 . Retrieved 16 March 2014. Today [ when?], airbag triggering algorithms are much more complex, being able to adapt the deployment speed to the crash conditions, and prevent unnecessary deployments. The algorithms are considered valuable intellectual property. Experimental algorithms may take into account such factors as the weight of the occupant, the seat location, and seatbelt use, as well as even attempt to determine if a baby seat is present.

a b "Are Airbags Worth the Money?". Flying Magazine. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. In 1998, FMVSS 208 was amended to require dual front airbags, and reduced-power, second-generation airbags were also mandated. This was due to the injuries caused by first-generation airbags, though FMVSS 208 continues to require that bags be engineered and calibrated to be able to "save" the life of an unbelted 50th-percentile size and weight "male" crash test dummy. The technical performance and validation requirements for the inflator assembly used in airbag modules are specified in SAE USCAR 24–2. [119] Outside the United States [ edit ]Dual-chamber Side Airbags". 23 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017 . Retrieved 26 January 2017. United States Congressional Committee on Commerce (1997). Reauthorization of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. p.39.

BNET News Release on AHS Annual Forum award". findarticles.com. 13 June 2002. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010 . Retrieved 17 October 2010. In 1990, the first automotive fatality attributed to an airbag was reported. [138] TRW produced the first gas-inflated airbag in 1994, with sensors and low inflation-force bags becoming common soon afterward. Dual-depth (also known as dual-stage) airbags appeared on passenger cars in 1998. By 2005, deaths related to airbags had declined, with no adult deaths and two child deaths attributed to airbags that year. However, injuries remain fairly common in collisions with airbag deployment. When the frontal airbags are to deploy, a signal is sent to the inflator unit within the airbag control unit. An igniter starts a rapid chemical reaction generating primarily nitrogen gas (N 2) to fill the airbag making it deploy through the module cover. Some airbag technologies use compressed nitrogen or argon gas with a pyrotechnic operated valve ("hybrid gas generator"), while other technologies use various energetic propellants. Although propellants containing the highly toxic sodium azide (NaN 3) were common in early inflator designs, little to no toxic sodium azide has been found on used airbags.

a b Godshall, Jeffery. "Form, Function, and Fantasy – seventy years of Chrysler design". Automobile Quarterly. 32 (4): 70–71. ISBN 9781596139275 . Retrieved 27 April 2019.