In what year did driver side airbags become mandatory?

In what year did driver side airbags become mandatory?

• A. 1995
• B. 1989
• C. 1990
• D. 2000

Answer: (A)

The central idea is how safety regulations drive equipment on new cars. Driver-side airbags became a nationwide requirement through federal safety standards, taking effect for all new passenger cars with model year 1998 under FMVSS 208. Before 1998, airbags were not universally mandated—some vehicles offered them as options or had earlier, limited implementations—but the regulatory deadline that ensures every new car includes a driver airbag started in 1998. That’s why 1998 is the pivotal year. The other years fall outside the nationwide mandate: they’re either before the standard existed or after the standard had begun, so they don’t represent the point at which the requirement became universal.

The central idea is how safety regulations drive equipment on new cars. Driver-side airbags became a nationwide requirement through federal safety standards, taking effect for all new passenger cars with model year 1998 under FMVSS 208. Before 1998, airbags were not universally mandated—some vehicles offered them as options or had earlier, limited implementations—but the regulatory deadline that ensures every new car includes a driver airbag started in 1998. That’s why 1998 is the pivotal year. The other years fall outside the nationwide mandate: they’re either before the standard existed or after the standard had begun, so they don’t represent the point at which the requirement became universal.