Ford introduced rear-inflatable seat belts in the 2011 Explorer SUV, which they claim, “are designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear-seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries.” Now, they’re also available in the Flex, Explorer, Taurus, as well as the Lincoln MKT and MKZ.
The Blue Oval has also announced their inclusion into the 2014 Fusion’s list of safety features, as well, hoping to boost its sales further, as they have already risen 17.8 percent in the first half of 2013, compared to 2012.
Still, it seems that many are skeptical as to its actual usefulness, and argue that it may hamper the safety of child seats that were not designed to work in conjunction with the inflatable belts… To my knowledge, the only other manufacturer that offers a similar setup is Mercedes-Benz, which sells the all-new S-Class with rear inflatable belts too, though here the problem of mounting child seats never came up.
Check out the selection of videos we posted below and share your thoughts on this new type of airbag, and whether or not you think it is really beneficial or just more harmful dust to breathe in in the event of a crash.
By Andrei Nedelea
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