Editing Airbag (section)

== Active vs. passive safety ==
Airbags are considered "passive" restraints and act as a supplement to "active" restraints. Because no action by a vehicle occupant is required to activate or use the airbag, it is considered a "passive" device. This is in contrast to [[seat belt]]s, which are considered "active" devices because the vehicle occupant must act to enable them.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Kenneth E. |last=Warner |title=Bags, Buckles, and Belts: The Debate over Mandatory Passive Restraints in Automobiles |doi=10.1215/03616878-8-1-44 |pmid=6863874 |journal=Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law |year=1983 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=44–75 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.motorvista.com/airhist.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20010222142601/http://motorvista.com/airhist.htm |url-status= dead |archive-date= 22 February 2001 |title=U.S. air bag history |website=motorvista.com |year=2000 |access-date=16 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6272412/description.html |title=U.S. patent 6272412 – Passive restraint control system for vehicles |website=patentstorm.us |access-date=17 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110612202945/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6272412/description.html |archive-date=12 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/circltr/1991/cl1991_10.htm |title=Circular Letter No. 10 (1991): Auto Insurance Premium Discounts For Passive Restraints |publisher=New York State Department of Financial Services |date=12 April 1991 |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140316220229/http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/circltr/1991/cl1991_10.htm |archive-date=16 March 2014 }}</ref>

This terminology is not related to [[Automobile safety#Active and passive safety|active and passive safety]], which are, respectively, systems designed to prevent collisions in the first place, and systems designed to minimize the effects of collisions once they occur. In this use, a car [[Anti-lock braking system]] qualifies as an active-safety device, while both its seat belts and airbags qualify as passive-safety devices. Terminological confusion can arise from the fact that passive devices and systems—those requiring no input or action by the vehicle occupant—can operate independently in an active manner; an airbag is one such device. Vehicle safety professionals are generally careful in their use of language to avoid this sort of confusion. However, [[advertising]] principles sometimes prevent such [[Semantics|semantic]] caution in the consumer marketing of safety features. Further confusing the terminology, the [[aviation safety]] community uses the terms "active" and "passive" in the ''opposite'' sense from the automotive industry.<ref>[https://vtol.org/store/templates/product/createPreview.cfm Rotorcraft Active Crash Protection Systems] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170623160112/https://vtol.org/store/templates/product/createPreview.cfm |date=23 June 2017}}</ref>