Top 10 Car Technologies We'll No Longer Do Without From heated seats to airbags, from Bluetooth connectivity to collision alerts, here are the technologies that have become indispensable to us today as we drive

9 - Airbags

In the early 1970s, Ford was the first major automaker to test passenger airbags, and in 1972 it offered this option with the Monterey model. In 1973, Chevrolet equipped 1,000 Impalas with experimental airbags. Subsequently they would be offered as an option between 1974 and 1976 with the Oldsmobile Toronado.

Today, in addition to airbags, there are side curtain airbags and a host of other devices that deploy throughout the cabin to protect vehicle occupants in the event of an collision. Again, it is impossible to calculate the number of deaths and serious injuries avoided due to the presence of airbags and similar systems, but there’s no doubt the number is enormous.