Citation

Yost CD. Proc. Am. Assoc. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1972; 16: 124-128.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1972, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The first air-bag deployment in a "real-world" accident involving a human occupant occurred at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 9, 1972, in Santa Barbara, California. The accident involved an air-bag-equipped 1972 Mercury Monterey two-door hardtop that was struck at the right-front corner by a 1966 Reo garbage truck when the car turned left at an intersection into the path of the oncoming truck. The 1972 Mercury equipped with an experimental Air-Bag/Lap-Belt Restraint System collided with a garbage truck at an intersection in Santa Barbara, California, triggering the first air-bag deployment in a "real-world" accident. The lap-belted Mercury driver received minor injuries. However, the occupant protection potential of the experimental airbag was not tested since the bag covers only the right-front occupant and that seat was unoccupied. The air-bag module is located low in the instrument panel, in the area ordinarily occupied by the glove compartment. It is intended to supplement the right-front lap-belt restraint by cushioning the forward motion of the right-front occupant if the car becomes involved in a frontal collision of sufficient severity.