What exactly is an airbag, as a safety device built into vehicles?

Question

DentroTest · Accepted Answer

The airbag is a fundamental passive safety element of vehicles, whose main function is to act once the impact has occurred in order to reduce the severity of injuries. It consists of a cushion or bag of resistant fabric that deploys and inflates in thousandths of a second through a chemical reaction when the sensors detect a sudden deceleration of a certain intensity. Its purpose is to come between the occupant and the rigid parts of the vehicle (steering wheel, dashboard or pillars), cushioning the impact and preventing serious trauma. The mechanism that tightens the seatbelt against the body is the pretensioner, which acts in a complementary but independent way from the airbag. Cutting the seatbelt in the event of a rollover is not a function of the airbag or of any safety element intended to protect the occupant.

What exactly is an airbag, as a safety device built into vehicles?

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