South Korea’s largest auto parts supplier Hyundai Mobis Co. announced on Wednesday that it developed an airbag between passengers that minimizes impact of collision with a passenger in the next seat in a car accident.

The airbag between passengers typically aims to protect a passenger on the opposite side of the collision spot. In a crash, a passenger near collision spot would be protected by curtain airbags or side airbags but other passengers could be fatally injured if they could bump their head against fellow passenger’s shoulder and head or other seats. With the cases continuing to occur, the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), a European car safety performance assessment program, strongly recommend installing airbags between passengers from 2018.

According to test results, when a 1,350 kilogram large car rams into the side of the driver’s seat at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, Head Injury Criterion (HIC) of a passenger far away from the collision spot came to 1,700 to 1,900, much higher than 600 to 800 of the driver. HIC is a measure of the likelihood of head injury arising from an impact. At a HIC of 1,000, there is an 18% probability of a severe head injury.

The latest airbag between passengers developed by Hyundai Mobis could reduce HIC from 80 percent to around 300. An airbag is deployed out of the right side of the driver’s seat to cause minor injury. The figure is far less than 500, most safety rating of Euro NCAP, and safer than those of its global rivals.

The auto parts supplier would soon complete developing technology of single mode to prepare for a collision accident when a driver is driving alone, as well as dual mode to brace for a collision between a driver and a passenger.

The company announced that it would unveil integrated technology to deal with both single and dual collision modes with one module of airbag between passengers.

By Noh Won-myung

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