Ford Offers Its Inflatable Seatbelts to the Competition
Ford is hoping that one of its patented technologies will become common in all cars, including those from competing automakers.
The American brand is offering licenses for its patented inflatable seat belt technology to any company, including competing manufacturers. Although it appears like a regular seat belt, in the event of a crash this inflatable seatbelt will quickly expand over the wearer’s chest and shoulders to help spread the load of a collision, reducing the risk of a chest or neck injury.
Currently, the Ford Explorer, Flex, Fusion and the upcoming 2015 F-150 can be had with inflatable seat belts. The technology can also be had with the Lincoln MKT and MKZ. Besides cars, Ford says that inflatable seatbelts could be used in planes, helicopters and even boats.
“The wider adoption of inflatable safety belts has the potential to make travel safer and help mitigate passenger injuries – especially among children and the elderly,” said Bill Coughlin, president and CEO, Ford Global Technologies.
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Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>
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