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Monday, November 20, 2017

Inflatable Seat Belts

Do you know anyone who has died in a car accident? Well many people have, and many of those people are young children or the elderly sitting in the back seat. Donald Lewis’, Inflatable Seat Belt, will make cars all through Europe and America safer. It also is more comfortable because it’s more padded. This is being developed in the U.S.A. and Europe, and will be put in use very soon. The original idea came out in 2009, and was quickly designed tested. You can find this seat belt in Ford, Mercedes Benz, and more. These are helpful because, airbags go off in the front but not in the back because they are harmful to small children or the elderly. Airbags are harmful because, they cause head, neck, and chest injuries to smaller, lighter people. These seat belts are specially designed for that. When the seatbelt blows up, it supports your neck so these injuries are less likely to happen.

How it Works
  1. The car first detects that there has been a crash.
  2. The seat belt blows up immediately, from the gas stored in a cylinder located right behind the seat.
  3. When the bag blows up it rips through the fabric of the seat belt.
  4. It blows up 5x bigger than regular safety belts and protects people just as much as regular airbags do.
  5. After a couple seconds of being blown up, the air then starts slowly coming out

Donald Lewis has always been very caring and wanting to make a difference. Donald has made many more inventions,he has well over 190. Lewis wanted to be a doctor, but that didn’t work out. That lead him to become an engineer. According to John Yantis, “When John Lewis finds a problem, he invents a better way to fix it.” He has always been safe and wanting to help others stay safe. He noticed that a lot of people get hurt by getting hit with air bags and that a lot of people die from not getting hit by them at all. He then designed these seat belts that are a little bit thicker than regular ones, and can help a whole lot more.

The Inflatable Seat Belt will help save lives all around America and Europe. This can help so many people and make so many cars better.
Advantages:
  • Keeps children and the elderly safe
  • Reduces chances of injury
  • Keeps more of the body safe than regular seat belts
  • More protection in second row
  • Comfortable
Disadvantages:
  • Has been tested by Ford but not by NHTSA yet
  • Many parental concerns
Although, there are many advantages, parents are still nervous.
Concerns:
  • Not safe for babies
  • Can’t use on kids in boosters
  • It could be bad if it blows up while someone is sleeping or slouching

The Inflatable Seat Belt reminds me of the Parachute. The Parachute was thought-up and designed by Leonardo da Vinci in 1483. Although, it was just a sketch in a notebook until Faust Vrančić brought it to life in 1595. These remind me of eachother because, they were both used for safety. The Seat Belt, for car crashes; the Parachute, was intended for jumping out of burning buildings. Both inventions were meant for one person to use at a time. They also both inflate. They do have some differences.  They may both be used for safety but its different kinds of safety. They both have a big impact on the world. They save people all over the areas they are in use.

Works Cited
“The Ford Inflatable Seat Belt: How It Affects Car Seats and Children.” Product Reviews and Ratings - Consumer Reports, www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2011/03/the-ford-inflatable-seat-belt-how-it-affects-car-seats-and-children/index.htm.
John Yantis on Jun 05, 2000, under Tucson and Arizona. “Inventor’s Accomplishments Include Inflatable Seat Belts.” Tucson Citizen, tucsoncitizen.com/morgue2/2000/06/05/214288-inventor-s-accomplishments-include-inflatable-seat-belts/.
Sprung, Shlomo. “The Inflatable Seat Belt Will Save The Lives Of Backseat Passengers In Crashes.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 6 Sept. 2012, www.businessinsider.com/how-fords-inflatable-seatbelt-will-save-lives-2012-8.
Updated: 06/29/2015 

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Kathleen Doheny, Contributor. “Inflatable Seatbelts: An Ongoing Challenge for Parents.” Edmunds, 29 June 2015, www.edmunds.com/car-safety/inflatable-seatbelts-pose-new-challenge-for-parents.html.
Updated: 06/29/2015 
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by

Kathleen Doheny, Contributor. “Inflatable Seatbelts: An Ongoing Challenge for Parents.” Edmunds, 29 June 2015, www.edmunds.com/car-safety/inflatable-seatbelts-pose-new-challenge-for-parents.html.

7 comments:

  1. Could the cylinder behind the seat belt blow up causing a gas explosion? How much would implementing the seat belts in a car cost compared to normal ones?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes a gas explosion is possible but not likely. The cost is unknown.

      Delete
  2. How much does the inflatable seat belt cost? Do you think it would be a good investment for families that want to keep their children safe?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The cost is not available to the public yet. I don't know the cost but I believe it would be.

      Delete
  3. You mentioned that these seat belts keep children safe. But could there possibly be a malfunction with-in the seat belt causing it to not work when it needs to?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a possibility, but they have been working on this for a while so it's highly unlikely.

      Delete
  4. Most people will tell us those huge ones at the water parks, and while that's one option there are others out there. In fact, inflatable Water Slides are beginning to be extremely popular in comparison to above ground pools, such as Banzai Water Slide Parks.

    best inflatable kayak

    ReplyDelete