Having airbags for the front passenger and driver is all very well and good, but what about the backseat passengers?

It’s quite rare, in my opinion, to have any safety equipment ready to leap into action to save backseaters from injury in a collision.

Well, next year Ford will be offering inflatable seatbelts for backseat passengers as an extra – which will probably cost around £250.

Initially the belts will be available only in the Mondeo, but the company plans on having it available in all of their family cars eventually.

The seatbelts, which will act as airbags for anyone in the rear of the vehicle, are safe for use with a booster seat and wil fully inflate in 40 milliseconds.

Hopefully this will lead to a reduction in the number of whiplash, back and head injuries suffered annually in the UK.

The inflatable belts have already been available to the American public since late last year, and apparently the company states that so far 40% of customers have elected to have the safety extra.

I’m not surprised! Changing the paintwork colour of a Ford Mondeo can cost anything from £200 to £545 – with that in mind £250 for something which will protect someone from suffering harm in a crash is a very good price!

Labels: air bag, backseat, crash, driver, Ford, inflatable seatbelt, injuries, passenger, safe, vehicle, whiplash