Ford's New Safety Feature Promises to Minimize Risk of Serious Injuries in Accidents
As a New Jersey car accident lawyer, I have been particularly enthused by automakers equipping their vehicles with newer safety technologies that either prevent accidents, or minimize the risk of serious injuries in a crash. It’s also been fantastic to see consumers willing to spend more dollars even in a hard economy, for cars that include these additional features.
That’s why it was so great to read that Ford Motor Company will introduce new inflatable seatbelts in the backseats of Ford Explorers that are due to go into production shortly. The inflatable seatbelts begin to fill with air at the time of impact, protecting a person from chest, neck and head injuries. The seatbelts will be equipped in the rear seats, protecting these passengers from serious injuries in front and side impact crashes.
Back seat passengers typically have lower seatbelt usage rates than front seat passengers. Ford claims that these inflatable seatbelts are much more comfortable than conventional seatbelts, and this means that inflatable seatbelt systems could actually become popular with backseat passengers and encourage them to buckle up. That’s always good news! Ford says it will wait for positive reactions from consumers before making the feature standard across all its vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been working to require safety features like electronic stability control systems, to be made standard on all passenger vehicles. For instance, by the year 2012, all passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds must come equipped with electronic stability control systems as standard equipment. The systems are already in place in many popular models, as are side airbags which protect passengers from serious injuries in the event of side impact crashes.
The development of safety features like these is one of the reasons why auto accident fatality rates in the US have been declining the way they have.
Scott Grossman is a New Jersey car accident lawyer representing victims of auto accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties and across New Jersey.
