Ford is offering inflatable seat belts for the outboard-rear-seat passengers as a new safety equipment option on 2011 Explorers. The option will be available sometime between late April and late May, according to Ford. The technology does just as the name says—in a crash, a tubular airbag “unzips” from the seams of the seat belt across the occupant’s chest.
The inflatable seat belts have two advantages: First, they spread the crash force over a wider area of the body, potentially reducing the risk of injury to the chest. Second, deployment of the bag tightens the belt, reducing forward movement and reducing the potential for head injury.
Though we foresaw the potential advantages for all rear-seat passengers, as child passenger safety technicians and parents we had some serious concerns. Were the airbags hot, once deployed, like front airbags are? Are the belts thicker, and if so, how is that going to affect child-car-seat installation features such as belt lock-offs, which are already sometimes difficult to use? How does the deployment of the bags affect a child in a child seat installed with the belts? How would the deploying belt affect a sleeping or slouching child seated very close to it?
So we asked Ford these questions and we’re happy to report that many of our concerns were alleviated. Knowing more about the system set our minds at ease, and gave us more reason to believe that an inflatable belt does offer the potential for added protection to rear seat passengers both young and old.
Here’s what we learned:
We recognize that use and acceptance of new safety systems often requires a learning curve. We know that some child-seat manufacturers prohibit the use of the inflatable belts with their child seats and that others are considering doing so. We encourage them to conduct their own tests and installations with the system. Our fear is that parents may opt not to purchase the belts based on a belief that they may prevent secure installation of their child seats. This would potentially eliminate a feature that may make kids safer when they are big enough to use the belts alone. We will try many of our own child seats with the Ford inflatable belt as soon as it becomes available for purchase.
—Jennifer Stockburger, program manager, vehicle and child safety
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