Nov 6th, 2009 by Ross Edwards
Ford has introduced the first ever seat belts that include an inflatable airbag to help prevent head and neck injuries in a car crash. The seat belt airbags are designed only for rear seats and will debut in the next generation Ford Explorer. The seat belt airbags spread the force of a collision over five times the area of a typical seat belt, which reduces pressure on the chest and limits head movement. Ford says that the inflatable seat belts will be especially good at reducing head and neck injuries in children, who are most likely to be in the rear seat of a vehicle.
Airbag burns are not a concern with the inflatable belts because they use cold compressed gas rather than a chemical reaction like a traditional airbag. The belts also inflate at a much slower rate than a traditional airbag, so injuries from sudden inflation are not a concern.
According to Ford, 90% of people who tested the belts found that they were either as comfortable or more so than a typical belt. Ford says that the more comfortable belts could help improve the 61% rear seat belt usage rate in the U.S.
Click here to see the video Ford has uploaded to Youtube of the seat belt airbags in action.
The Ford Explorer has been hugely popular as an SUV for families since it first went on sale in the early 1990s, and the new rear seat belt airbags should help it keep that popularity.
Picture via cargurus.com
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