The Controversy Over Airbags

Cars today are filled with airbags - many of which are not even required by law. Though the U.S. government credits airbags with saving tens of thousands of lives, there was once a real battle over whether they should be required equipment in cars. Safety advocates and insurance companies loved the devices, but skeptics, free market advocates and the auto industry bemoaned the cost of compliance and highlighted the dangers of the new technology. Indeed airbags were connected with a large number of deaths, mostly among children. Later, airbags would be at the center of the Takata scandal, the largest recall in history. Despite these setbacks automakers are now devising new airbag designs to reduce risks of injury even further.