‘Beltbag’ for Mercedes-Benz

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Mercedes-Benz has announced that it will make use of a ‘Beltbag’ in a luxury-class model to enhance rear passenger safety. The Beltbag is like an airbag for seatbelts that reduces the risk of injury to rear passengers involved in a head-on collision.

Crash sensors detect a severe frontal impact while a gas generator inflates the multi-layered belt strap with Velcro seams to almost three times its original width. According to Mercedes-Benz, the Beltbag is comfortable to wear too with its extra-soft belt strap edge. The Beltbag will reduce chest related injuries experienced in severe collisions by evenly distributing the force experienced across the chest.

News Source: Mercedes-Benz

Airbags Can Be Deadly

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It’s strange to think that an airbag, designed to save your life in the event of an accident, has the ability to take your life. This was the unfortunate fate of UK resident Ronald Smith, who died as a result of inhaling the poisonous contents of an airbag.

Smith was involved in a minor accident when his airbag was supposedly punctured by a piece of glass releasing the airbag’s contents which Smith inhaled, killing him three weeks down the line. Smith experienced ongoing breathing problems and died of Bronchial Pneumonia. Apparently Smith is the first person to die as a result of an airbag.

Highly poisonous Sodium Azide (NaN3) is used in airbags and upon impact a trigger mechanism detonates Sodium Azide to release Nitrogen gas which inflates the airbag in seconds. When your airbag inflates, you can only hope it doesn’t rupture. Thousands upon thousands of cars are fitted with airbags and it’s difficult to think that a safety feature designed to keep you safe could actually take your life.