Hyundai develops a side airbag

Hyundai side centre airbagAirbags have help reduce injuries in typical front and side impact crashes. But there is another area where drivers and their passengers can sustain severe injuries. David Brown reports on a new airbag from Hyundai.

The Hyundai Motor Group has developed a new centre side airbag which deploys into the space between driver and passenger seats to prevent head clashes injuries of passengers in the front row. If there is no one in the front passenger seat, the airbag will protect the driver from side collisions. The centre side airbag is installed inside the driver’s seat.

The new airbag is expected to reduce head injuries caused by passengers colliding with each other by 80%. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association’s statistics, the rate of secondary damage caused by these kinds of collisions or from hitting interior materials is about 45%.

About David Brown 607 Articles
David’s boyhood passion for motor cars did not immediately lead to a professional role in the motor industry. A qualified Civil Engineer he specialised in traffic engineering and transport planning. What followed were various positions including being seconded to a government think-tank for the planning of transport firstly in Sydney and then for the whole of NSW. After working with the NRMA and as a consultant he moved to being an independent writer and commentator on the broader areas of transport and the more specific areas of the cars we drive. His half hour motoring program “Overdrive” has been described as an “informed, humorous and irreverent look at motoring and transport from Australia and overseas”. It is heard on 22 stations across Australia. He does weekly interviews with several ABC radio stations and is also heard on commercial radio in Sydney. David has written for metropolitan and regional newspapers and has presented regular segments on metropolitan and regional television stations. David is also a contributor for AnyAuto