Ford Inflatable Seat Belts #NAIAS

Have you heard of inflatable seat belts?  I had not heard of them either and yes, they do exist.

• Ford introduced the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear seat occupants, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries
• Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts debuted on the 2011 Ford Explorer
• Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts; this helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps control head and neck motion for rear seat passengers

(source: http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=31360)

So not only will your family be protected by them wearing a seat belt but now they will have the protection of their own air bag.  The air bag opens like a regular air bag would and protects the area from the shoulder down to the waist.  In an impact, the head would hit the air bag in the seat belt.

Check out this demonstration:

Accident-(This is me acting as if I was in an accident for visual effect...lol)

I like the extra protection.  The inflatable seat belts have been tested with car seats and boosters, and are safe to use.  It was not uncomfortable.  In an accident, who is really going to be caring about comfort, right? Safety is the key.

***Disclosure-I was invited to attend the 2013 FORD NAIAS Digital Summit.  These are my own experiences I am sharing with you, any and all opinions are my own, honest opinions.