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passive restraint

American  
[pas-iv ri-streynt] / ˈpæs ɪv rɪˈstreɪnt /

noun

  1. a safety device in a motor vehicle, as an airbag or special seat belt, that is activated automatically to protect the seat occupant at the moment of impact when a collision occurs.

Etymology

Origin of passive restraint

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Department of Transportation ruled that air bags, or some form of passive restraint system, would be required safety equipment on all new cars sold in the U.S. by 1990.

From Time Magazine Archive

Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams ordered automakers to begin installing air bags or other "passive restraint" safety devices on big cars by the 1982 model-year and on all cars by 1984.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.