Nifty Idea: Inflatable Seat Belts!

I like this new safety feature from Ford: offer customers inflatable seat belts to protect rear occupants who don’t have the benefit of an air bag to protect them in a frontal crash. Sure, many cars now come with side curtain air bags, but when it comes to a head on collision, rear seating passengers don’t have all the protection that they need.

Ford Safety Innovation Laboratory-Dean Jaradi, Advance Research Engineer of the inflatable belt, Ford Motor Company, speaks to media as Ford introduces the auto industry's first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear-seat occupants.

Well, buyers of the next generation Ford Explorer — due out next year — will find that they’ll have one more reason why to consider Ford when shopping for a sport utility vehicle. That vehicle will include the new feature which Ford says will protect occupants including small children who are most vulnerable in an accident.

Crash test dummies, large and small, get to prove that Ford's inflatable seat belts are a smart idea for families. The all new safety feature debuts with the next generation Ford Explorer next year.

“Ford is pioneering inflatable seat belt technology to help enhance crash safety protection, while encouraging more people to buckle up with a more comfortable belt,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president, Engineering, Global Product Development.

Ford Explorer

Speaking of the Ford Explorer, the next generation model will be a clean departure from the current model. Instead of residing on a truck chassis, the Explorer will be underpinned by a car chassis. Thus, the 2011 Explorer will probably lose its SUV designation in favor of CUV — crossover utility vehicle.

Autoblog and some other sites have published spy photos of the next generation Explorer which give the vehicle a more wagon-like appearance, more rounded than the squared off Flex.

Source: Ford Motor Company

IIHS Adds Fourth Test Category: Roof Strength

Tiny as they are, Smart Fortwos perform quite well in IIHS crash tests thanks to its built in safety cage.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an association of auto insurance companies who track how well vehicles perform in a crash. These tests go far in helping member companies decide how much to charge customers, which means automakers know that a low score could result in higher insurance premiums. High premiums can keep shoppers away from purchasing a particular model, thus the importance of performing well.

Thousands Killed Annually In Rollovers

Up until recently the IIHS tested cars for front, side and rear impact, but they didn’t test these cars for roof impact which happens as a result of vehicle roll overs. Roof strength is critical because if your roof collapses, you and your passengers could be seriously injured or killed. About 10,000 people are killed annually due to rollovers, which is about one-fourth of all vehicle deaths in the US.

To roll out its new test, the IIHS decided to test the smallest cars on the road – a group of micro and mini-cars that may soon become dominate on our roads especially if gas prices begin to surge once again. The Smart Fortwo, Chevy Aveo, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Accent were each tested with some surprising results – the Fortwo’s roof was the strongest while the Aveo was the weakest, the latter model given a “marginal” rating by the IIHS.

Smart Fortwo Cage

IIHS research has shown that car roofs have gotten strong lately, which is good news for consumers. In the case of the Smart Fortwo, which is enveloped in a safety cage, roof strength is superior to most cars on the road.

“We anticipate that our roof strength test will drive improved rollover crash protection the same way our frontal offset and side tests have led to better occupant protection in these kinds of crashes,” says Institute president Adrian Lund. “Small cars should have an easier time with the roof strength test,” Lund explains. “Their light weight means their roofs don’t have to work as hard to keep the structure around the occupants intact in a rollover.”

More Tests Soon

Likely, we’ll hear some pretty bad news as the IIHS test expands to incorporate more body styles with SUVs expected to perform poorly. Minivans, crossovers and any other larger vehicle will probably have a difficult time getting a score above acceptable with perhaps marginal being the common score among some segments.

Source: IIHS

See Also — IIHS Recognizes Ford Safety Among This Year’s Top Picks