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Nov 05, 2009 -- Ford to introduce inflatable seat belt for backseat passengers
Ford is planning to roll out an inflatable seat belt for back seat passengers beginning with next year's vehicle models. The newly designed belt promises to save the lives of children who routinely sit in back seats.
"Each belt's tubular air bag inflates with cold compressed gas," according to The Los Angeles Times, "which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat." In addition, the rate of inflation is very gentle compared to that of traditional air bags.
Clark loves ingenuity like this. Likewise, he recalls hearing about a state highway engineer who came up with the idea of wires being strung along freeway medians to prevent crossover collisions.
There's so much we can do with science on the cheap to save lives!
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What others are saying
Engineering?
Too bad they can't use all this engineering brainpower to improve the life and performance of their drive trains!
A thank you and an apology
Thank you Ralph Nader, for spending the majority of your life as a consumer advocate trying to protect "we the people" from the corporate and government monsters who choose profit over humanity, and for fighting to end the corporate takeover of government that unfortunately, is now a lost battle. I must also apologize for the majority of the American people including people like z below, who fail to see the truth and/or didn't have the intelligence or guts to vote for you in 2006 and 2008. You would of made a great president.
I agree!
Great point J.J. While I embrace technology when it increases safety, too often personal responsibility is ignored.
Technology Reliant
When I was learning to drive years ago, my father told me that the most important part of the car was the 'nut' holding the steering wheel. In other words, YOU are responsible for YOUR safety.
In our rush to embrace technology we have reduced our reliance on our thinking, thus airline pilots fly past their destination, drivers listening to GPS devices turn into lakes, rushed airbag installations killed dozens of children, etc.
While technology can be good, it is no substitute for alert thinking. You can surround yourself in a car with all the latest and greatest safety technology but if you are text-messaging, fall asleep, or are otherwise distracted - how much safer is it for the pedestrian out there minding his own business??
Thank You Ralph Nader!
Thank You Ralph Nader! Too bad he turned into such a wacko in recent years. :(
