http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/ Engadget Comments for Ford demos new airbag-based seatbelt design http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/

]]>Sep 1st 2006 8:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/I've always thought the 4 point belts were better, but good grief, we can't get the general public to use the ones we have with one connection! I remember those belts that were automatic, and people STILL didn't use the lap belt. It's a personal choice.....people just don't want to wear them for some reason. I've seen story after story after story about a crash where the vehicle rolled and the passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Then it will say that no one was wearing a seat belt. Well, they took a chance now they are worm food. If I had a car option with a four point belt design, I'd jump on it. It's called a RESTRAINT device for a reason. It restrains you from bouncing all over the car, and being thrown out.]]>Sep 1st 2006 8:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Just kidding, I support this 100%... too many car accidents happen every day.]]>Sep 1st 2006 8:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 9:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
So I don't support seatbelt 100%. I believe it's for everyone over 18 to decide if they want to wear one or not.

But the 4 point system might be better than the 2 pointer.]]>Sep 1st 2006 9:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
i won't bore you all with details, but if i hadn't been thrown from my car, i would have been crushed like a tomato.

i always wear my seatbelt now, though, cuz i don't wanna get a ticket. oh, and generally speaking, wearing a seatbelt is a good idea, my story notwithstanding.]]>Sep 1st 2006 9:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Your not the only guy

My cousin had an off-head-on collision which resulted with the car spinning. He got thrown onto the passenger seat and had his legs in the air. When all movement stopped he looked at the driver's pit (where the pedals are) to see that it had caved in. Had he been wearing his belt, he would at the very least be without his legs today.

I also say that wearing a belt is a good idea because these type of accidents are rare.
]]>Sep 1st 2006 10:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
And shirizaki, modern cars all have 3 point, not 2 point belts.]]>Sep 1st 2006 10:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 10:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Ive always been concerned with not being able to remove an injured individual quickly from a car. The more you secure a passenger to the seat, the more difficult it becomes to remove them after a crash (time is of concern anytime there is potential fire risk, minimizing movement is crucial when there is potential spinal cord injury)

This four point design apears to require two cuts to remove, whereas current belts need only one. At some point the level of restraint hinders removal.

Also makes it more difficult to look over the shoulder when parking or checking blind splot ]]>Sep 1st 2006 10:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Not wearing seatbelts is more comfortable and having 4 or 5 point seatbelts is much better. Each person should decide for themselves.

Congratulations to Ford to actually push with something new. Since the Japanese and European domination they have been sitting on the sidelines hoping it will just blow by.

Ford should offer these seatbelts as an 3 point or 4 point options. Either offer it as a extra feature or develop the product so that you can use it as a three point or four point system. Leave it to the individual to value their own life.

As for accidents, I was involved in a roll over 5 years ago. A black stolen Mercedes, driven by someone drunk without a license and insurance hit our 96 VW Jetta. I was the only one not wearing seatbelts. I was sleeping in the back seat and woke up on the car floor. If I had a chance to revisit the past and I would probably want a 5 point harness.
]]>Sep 1st 2006 10:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Of course, if the car is crushed in the accident, you would have been better off being thrown, but even leaving your seatbelt off wouldn't guarantee that you are thrown clear. You obviously have no way of knowing beforehand if seatbelts or none would be better before an accident, so you want to maximize your chances of survival(not guarantee!) by wearing them.]]>Sep 1st 2006 11:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 11:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://ahsoon.net/2006/09/01/no-seatbelt-no-excuse/

video shows what not wearing seatbelts does]]>Sep 1st 2006 11:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
-p-]]>Sep 1st 2006 11:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 11:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Regarding 4point belts. I thought they were not as safe as 3points due to the roll over risk. The upper body cannot shift if the roof comes down thus crushing your neck. Thats why the aftermarket 4 points are generally illegal without a rollcage. And if you have a rollcage, you need a helmet incase your head strikes one of the bars. Also the 4 points direct more energy into your neck in a headon and thats why many racers use Hans devices.]]>Sep 1st 2006 12:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 12:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
But... YOU ARE A COMPLETE MORON if you don't wear a helmet or a seatbelt or any other proven safety device. It's already the case that car accidents are the most likely cause of accidental death.

"In fatal crashes, 75 percent of all passenger car occupants who were totally ejected were killed. Only 1 percent of those occupants had been using a safety belt." - Says NHTSA

and

"Seventy-three percent of the people who were in a fatal crash in 2001 and were restrained survived; of those who were not restrained, only 44 percent survived." - Says NHTSA

Dying because you're stupid is the dumbest way to die.
]]>Sep 1st 2006 1:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 1:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://musicmaniac.freeservers.com/lynscar.jpg ]]>Sep 1st 2006 1:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
Anyway, I walked away from that with a busted lip. She had a concussion and whiplash and still can't remember things from before the accident. BUT... if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt, she would have been either ejected from the car or suffered a crushed neck vertebra.

When I was 15, one of my friends was ejected from his Mustang when he hit a guardrail at 110+MPH. The only good thing about his accident was the impact of going through the windshield killed him before he hit the muddy riverbank below the bridge... and before the 3,000 pound Mustang he was driving landed on top of him, crushing him three feet deep into the mud.]]>Sep 1st 2006 1:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 1st 2006 1:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/
When they made seatbelts compulsory in the UK, the accident rate went *up* not down and it was pedestrians and cyclists that were worst affected. "Oops I took that corner too fast and mounted the kerb, I'm fine thanks to my seatbelt, but what was that mushy thing that screamed as I drove over it?"]]>Sep 2nd 2006 12:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Sep 4th 2006 6:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/01/ford-demos-new-airbag-based-seatbelt-design/Dec 12th 2006 4:49AM