Ford Introduces First Inflatable Seat Belt ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - Ford Motor Company is introducing the world's first rear-seat inflatable seat belts.

Steve Rouhana is senior technical leader for safety at Ford.

He says the new devices are a way to get the benefits of air bags, but without the risks attendant on sudden, forceful deployment.

The air bags inside the rear seat belts will inflate at a lower speed than front-seat air bags.

"Because this belt inflates and increases in size to about five times the area on the chest, it reduces the pressure on the chest -- which reduces the risk of chest injury," says Rouhana.

The air bags could be of special benefit to elderly, frail people who might otherwise suffer cracked ribs or other injuries from seat belts.

Rouhana says it's expected the devices will provide even more protection for children.

"As a child is moving forward (after an accident), the tube catches the chin, in the dummy testing we've done, we've shown lower neck loads, which means lower risk of neck injury as well."

The inflatable seat belts will be offered as an option on next year's Ford Explorer and added to other models later.

Rouhana says it's important for people to understand that even regular seat belts prevent severe injuries and save lives.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that seat belts have saved the lives of 170-thousand people in the U.S. since 1968.

Ford has posted a video demonstration of the device on Youtube, at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40gfYi4GPNU © Copyright 2010, Michigan Radio