Ford debuts inflatable seatbelts
Next year (2010), Ford will become the world's first car maker to introduce inflatable seatbelts when the technology debuts on the Explorer SUV in North America - though Ford has stated that the new safety device will be rolled out globally in time.
The first use of the inflatable seatbelts will be for rear occupants, which Ford reckons are often children or older passengers that are quite vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries. The inflatable belt is claimed to spread the crash force over five times the area of the body in comparison to a conventional belt, reducing localised pressure on the chest and lessening the risk of injury further.
Before deployment, the seatbelts operate as normal and are suitable for use with child and baby seats. Ford claims that the belt is actually more comfortable to wear than a regular one and hopes that it will also encourage more rear seat passengers to buckle up.
Airbags use a heat-generating chemical reaction to inflate rapidly, but as the seatbelt does not have a gap to quickly fill it can inflate slower and still be effective. This allowed Ford to use a cold compressed gas, which means occupants will never suffer 'burns' sometimes associated with airbag deployment.
It's highly likely that the inflatable seatbelts will arrive on Ford's European models by 2011, initially as an option.
"Ford's rear inflatable seat belt technology will enhance safety for rear-seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes," said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environmental and Safety Engineering.
