Behind The Wheel

MORE HEADLINES

» Markets | Economy | Companies

- Health Care Bill Clears First Senate Hurdle

BEHIND THE WHEEL VIDEO

» More

BMW Signed as Olympic Partner

20 Nov 2009

BMW has been chosen as the official automotive partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games. Ian Robertson, board member of BMW Group, spoke to CNBC about the sponsorship.

Economic Roundtable 19 Nov 2009
CNBC's Steve Liesman and Larry Lindsey, of the Lindsey Group, share their economic insight.

Assessing Obama's Tour of South Korea

18 Nov 2009

Assessing the joint press conference held by U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, with Frank Lavin, former White House political director, speaking with CNBC's Oriel Morrison.

Safest Vehicles on the Road 18 Nov 2009
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its latest list of safest vehicles, and CNBC's Phil LeBeau has the details.
Insurance Industry's Top Car Safety Picks 18 Nov 2009
The insurance industry's closely watched annual list of safest new vehicles is out, and CNBC's Phil LeBeau has the details.

RSS FEED

» Help

Subscribe to this RSS feed
Stay up to date with Behind The Wheel.

CNBC ON DIGG

Inflatable Seat Belts Aimed At Second Row Safety

Published: Thursday, 5 Nov 2009 | 9:36 AM ET

Text Size

By: Phil LeBeau
CNBC Correspondent

After 10 years of research and development, Ford [F Loading... () ] is unveiling inflatable seat belts.

This is a potentially ground breaking innovation in safety aimed at better protecting people in the second and third rows of cars involved in accidents.

Statistics show passengers in the second row of vehicles wear their seat belts just 74% of the time, compared with 83% for those in the front seat.

Inflatable seat belts, before they've been deployed, look like padded regular seat belts. When there is an accident, the belts open up and in less than 2 tenths of a second an air bag inflates, diffusing pressure on the chest as the passenger is thrown forward in a crash.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Ford engineer Srini Sundararajan has been working on the inflatable belts the last ten years and says their value goes well beyond the protection it provides. But the fact it's a padded, more comfortable seat belt means more passengers, especially kids, will be encouraged to buckle up. For years, engineers have been looking for ways to reduce or eliminate "seat belt syndrome".

Seat belt syndrome refers to the fact many kids under 8 have suffered internal or spinal injuries because they were not properly belted in. Sometimes kids put the shoulder strap behind them because it's uncomfortable. Sometimes they're too small and the belt doesn't hold them in place effectively, or constricts across their bellies, causing internal injuries.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and researchers at Rowan University in New Jersey have been studying this problem for years. They're work, along with the efforts of others have helped auto makers do a better job of addressing how to better protect kids in cars. Inflatable belts, along with getting more kids in booster seats, could be the next step in keeping kids safe in the back seat.