Driver airbag

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a front driver seat of a vehicle, comprising an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device in the form of an airbag that is inflatable from an instrument panel of the vehicle to a position between the instrument panel and the occupant, the airbag having a curved configuration in profile such that the airbag can deploy from a mounting location in the instrument panel toward the vehicle occupant, creating a space between the airbag and the instrument panel for receiving a vehicle steering wheel, if present, wherein the airbag comprises one or more central chambers that extend the length of the airbag from top to bottom, and wherein the airbag comprises lateral chambers on opposite sides of the one or more central chambers configured to extend rearward in the vehicle toward the occupant beyond the extent of the one or more central chambers, the lateral chambers being positioned substantially above the occupant's shoulders and adjacent an area of the one or more central chambers configured to receive the occupant's head;

• wherein the airbag comprises:
• a front panel having opposite ends that are widened with respect to the remainder of the front panel;
• a rear panel having opposite ends connected to the opposite ends of the front panel to form a loop;
• and
• side panels having respective peripheries connected to the looped front and rear panels to define an inflatable volume;
• wherein the side panels have a curved configuration that causes the front and rear panels to assume the curved configuration of the airbag, and wherein the panels are configured and arranged so that a front portion of the airbag that faces the occupant has a width that is tapered from wide to narrow as the front portion extends downward from adjacent a top portion of the airbag.