The Wall Street Journal reports that Ford has begun a new campaign with seat belts. With all of the problems the auto industry has faced in the last two years you would think that seat belts would be at the bottom of the agenda. But, just the opposite is true. U.S. Department of Transportation reports that 63% of all people injured in a car accident in 2001 were not wearing their seat belts. Successful seat restraints are what a profitable car company is all about.
“Ford Motor Co. unveiled the industry’s first inflatable seat belt, a combination belt and airbag designed to reduce crash injuries for rear-seat passengers, especially the young and elderly.” Ford’s method is to decrease the number of injuries through increased attention to technology and its benefits to protect human life. According to Sue Cischke Ford’s group vice president of sustainability the inflatable belt spreads the force of a crash over five times more body area than a conventional seat belt In an accident, the belt’s tubular air bag is inflated in a split second.
As a clinic that deals with auto injuries every day we would like to recommend the increased use of seat belts. Car accident.com claims that if 90 percents of Americans would buckle up, we could prevent more than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries annually. We are encouraged by the continued research to help keep families safe on the road. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a car accident you know how important road safety is. Dr. Dirk Woodmansee is dedicated to helping car accident victims return to the health conditions they enjoyed before their accidents. For a free exam and x-ray contact us today.