Airbags were introduced in the 60’s as an option, no one wanted the extra expense.
It took regulation to make airbags commonplace, not really much to do with patents, more to do with airbag manufacturers, auto manufacturers and insurance underwriters working together to lobby for the regulation…since it benefitted them.
Not that I’m against airbags in cars - this is just how it came about - vested interests.
For some reason, I didn’t realize that airbags became a requirement. I always use my seatbelt and think I’d prefer not to have an airbag go off in my face, making it even harder to maintain control in the event of an accident.
Not much worse than a cabriolet or convertible i guess
They typically have roll over protections in the seat and windshield to save the people inside.
This doesn’t.
Modern ones do. In this era they didn’t, the windshield just folded flat and there was usually nothing in the back as well.
Sometimes your kids were in the back.
True, but they didn’t offer much of a shielding from the impact with their short, weak necks.
Yeah modern cars do. Back then though, they didn’t even have seat belts. The glass roof, was the least of their problems if they crashed
But the glass roof would pop the airbags, reducing their effectiveness.
Can’t tell if you think old cars had airbags or if I’m interpreting your comment incorrectly.
From my own memory, air bags didn’t really become a common thing until the late 90s. A lot of my cars from the 90s didn’t have airbags at all.
Airbags were first patented in 1952. They couldn’t even become common place until the patent expired.
Airbags were introduced in the 60’s as an option, no one wanted the extra expense.
It took regulation to make airbags commonplace, not really much to do with patents, more to do with airbag manufacturers, auto manufacturers and insurance underwriters working together to lobby for the regulation…since it benefitted them.
Not that I’m against airbags in cars - this is just how it came about - vested interests.
For some reason, I didn’t realize that airbags became a requirement. I always use my seatbelt and think I’d prefer not to have an airbag go off in my face, making it even harder to maintain control in the event of an accident.
Don’t worry; if a crash is severe enough that your airbags go off, odds are your vehicle won’t be going very far anyways.
Why would they have airbags if they had glass roofs?
Today. Back in the day cabriolets didn’t necessarily have those.
Hell, even today manufacturers will have warnings that the rollover bars aren’t for passenger protection.
Crazy stuff.
Interesting. I think maybe try aren’t sufficient for professional use as a race-car, but protect sufficiently according to crash standards.