The Airbag: A Father’s Protective InstinctTurning a terrifying drive into global road safety

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

Modern vehicle safety relies on one engineer's realization that human reflexes cannot beat physics. After instinctively throwing his arm out to shield his daughter during a skid, John Hetrick designed a compressed air system to deploy faster than a crash. His moment of helplessness in 1952 led to the invention that now protects millions of drivers worldwide.