History Book: 25 years of airbags in autos

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Monday, August 28th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up: the WORLD History Book. In 1998 airbags become mandatory safety equipment on all new cars.

And, fifty years ago today, the end of a six-day hostage ordeal, where some of the victims grew attached to the perpetrators.

But first, a devastating natural disaster. Here’s WORLD Executive Producer Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: One hundred years ago Tokyo, Japan, is fast becoming a world class city, the once secluded region has become the center of political power and influence, boasting a population of more than 2 million people.

On Saturday, September 1st, 1923, the city is slowly waking up, unaware that just 30 miles away, a tectonic plate is about to rupture underwater. At 11:58am local time, the pressure explodes as a 7.9 magnitude earthquake.

One eye witness in the nearby port city of Yokohama says that the air was suddenly filled with dust like heavy smoke as thousands of buildings collapsed. Professor Paul Scott from Kansai Gaidai University:

PAUL SCOTT: And the way a Japanese building is constructed, it's wooden, of course, but the roof is made of tile. You know, the swaying would cause the building to sort of pancake.

Within minutes, a 40-foot tsunami hits the shore—sweeping away thousands of people. Then the fires begin.

They burn with such intensity they spawn a “dragon twist”—a tornado of fire and smoke. Many structures that escape the earthquake and fires are swallowed up by landslides.

In the end, nearly half of Tokyo and 90 percent of Yokohama lie in ruins. Two and a half million people are left homeless. More than 100,000 people are dead.

The shared loss reinforces an emerging national identity. Reconstruction includes more than rebuilding, it also focuses on morality re-education and frugality. Reconstruction soon becomes protectionism and a return to national seclusion—setting the stage for military expansionism a few years later during World War II.

SOUND: [DOGS AND PEOPLE LEAVING THE BANK]

Next, August 28th, 1973, 50 years ago today. A hostage situation concludes without the loss of life in Stockholm, Sweden.

The situation started a week earlier when convict Jan-Erik Olsson walked into the Kreditbanken wearing a wig, makeup, and toy glasses. He was there to rob the bank. Not just a hold-up and dash, but he takes hostages for ransom. Olsson ties up three bank employees and demands three million Swedish kronor and a get-away vehicle.

Newscast audio here from the Criminal podcast:

NEWSCAST: He is equipped with a machine gun and he has several people as ransom in there.

Olsson also demands police bring his incarcerated friend Clark Olofsson to the scene.

Over the next six days, Olsson and Olafsson earn the trust of their hostages with kindness. The bank employees come to believe that they are more likely to die from police intervention, than at the hands of their captors. One hostage even pleads with the Prime Minister by phone to stop gambling with her life and let her escape with the captors. She wants to go with them. But the Prime Minister and police refuse.

NEWSCAST: He has already shot one policeman in the hand while the policeman tried to overtake him. They have policemen in the localities and they are trying to get hold to shoot at him.

Officials hope to end the standoff by drilling through the concrete bank vault ceiling and filling it with tear gas.

Olsson threatens to kill everyone if they do, even putting nooses around each hostage’s neck so if they pass out, they will die by strangulation. But negotiators believe Olsson is bluffing. The drills whine for hours. Water begins pooling in the vault. Then one drill cuts power to the lights. When police begin filling the vault with tear gas, Olsson surrenders without harming the hostages.

The victims undergo extensive psychiatric treatment afterward. They frequently defend their captors, refusing to testify in court against them. One hostage even goes on to have a relationship with Clark Olafsson. Their surprising attachment to their captors soon becomes known as “Stockholm Syndrome,” though it is more of an explanation than an official diagnosis.

And finally this morning, after nearly 14 years of legislative debate, hearings, and incremental laws as of September 1st, 1998, all U.S. car manufacturers have to include airbag safety systems in their automobiles.

AIRBAG COMMERCIAL: I remember the airbag coming out right at me. A prayer and a Chrysler airbag saved my life.

Airbags had been around since the 1950s but industry and consumer buy-in was slow. The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard act of 1984 called for auto companies to equip all new cars with the so-called driver-side passive restraint system within five years.

HEARING: We're here this morning to receive testimony and S 591 highway fatality and injury Reduction Act.

In the 90’s, injuries caused by both faulty technology and improper use leads the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to pass new automotive standards and mandatory compliance for both driver-side and passenger airbags beginning in 1998.

PRESS CONFERENCE: The top priority is the safety of the motoring public.

Government data reports a 30 percent reduction in traffic fatalities since airbags became standard equipment in cars and trucks…

CBS NEWS: Tonight, CBS News is investigating one of the largest auto recalls in history.

Over the last 25 years, there have been dozens of national airbag recalls. The most common injuries include concussions, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, and even death.

[AIRBAG COMMERCIAL]

It appears that airbags are here to stay. In fact, many modern cars have nine or more airbag systems spread around the interior and exterior of the vehicle. And its use extends far beyond just automobiles. Similar technology is being tested in clothing to protect cyclists, skiers, and even seniors at risk of falling.

MYTHBUSTERS: So Buster's dead, falling wrapped in bubble pack. Where does that leave us? Well, I can't help but think that with enough of this stuff, sooner or later you'd be safe.

As this classic Mythbusters episode about jumping from a three story building while wrapped in bubble packing demonstrates airbags may be helpful, but that doesn’t mean we should increase risky behavior because we think we’re protected by a cushion of air.

That’s this week’s WORLD History Book. I’m Paul Butler.

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