How has airbags impacted society?
Just as with car seat belts, there was auto producer reluctance
about making airbags standards equipment on automobiles. The main
complaint for safety measures were that they would hurt the
consumer as the price of a new car would of course rise.
The other factor with seat belts was that consumers, despite its
clear safety benefits, were often not wearing them. Enough so that
laws had to be passed to force drivers and passengers to wear
them.
Once the cost hurdle argument about airbags was done, there of
course was no problem about "compliance" as the airbags were an
automatic safety device.
The installation of airbags has certainly reduced injuries and
prevented many deaths when there is a car crash.