Results of a program evaluating a potentially lower cost driver air bag system are presented.T he nonelectrical,a ir bag retrofit system integrates the complete air bag, crash sensing, and inflation functions within a single module mounted over the steering wheel hub. The Nationat Highway Traffic Safety Administration contracted Breed Corporation to develop police car retrofit driver prot-wection systems. Predictive analytics compared favorably with results measured in tests. Test dummy injury measures indicate good protection for the range of driver sizes, both with and without supplementary belt restraints. Environmental testing indicated that long term elevated temperature exposure be limited to temperatures no higher than 90°C (194°F) in order to insure high operational reliability.
This paper presents the views of the author, and not necessarily those of the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). The numbers in parentheses are references, listed at the end ofthe paper.