Crash a new car today, and you might be surprised by how many airbags spring to your defense. Passenger cars coming off the assembly line nowadays can have 20 or more safety sacks lying in wait. They’re tucked into the steering wheel and dashboard, of course, but they also pop out of seat belts, doors, rear seats, and the ceiling. And now, they might be headed for the outside of the car. That’s the idea behind the “external side airbag,” the work of auto industry supplier ZF.

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