Airbags are among the most important automotive safety products, since the concept of inflating a textile cushion could be used in both frontal impacts and side impact collisions to protect a great variety of body parts. In frontal impacts, for instance, driver airbags are estimated to reduce fatalities by 25% for belted drivers and serious head injuries by over 60%. For front-seat passengers (that are further away from the instrument panel than a driver from a steering wheel) the protective effect is estimated to be 20%.

In side impacts curtain airbags are estimated to reduce the risk for life-threatening head injuries when occupants are sitting on the side of the vehicle that is struck, while thorax airbags reduce serious injuries to the chest by approximately 25% in side-impact collisions. There is also an increasing demand for knee airbags and anti-sliding airbags, because frontal airbags and modern seatbelts have reduced the risk for head injuries but not the injuries to the legs. Consequently, there is a growing focus on using airbags to also prevent long-term disabling leg injuries. It is important that people not only survive crashes but also are able to walk, and lead a normal life.