Mercedes introduces Beltbag – an airbag for seat belts

The Beltbag by Mercedes-Benz is an inflatable seat-belt strap, that is able to reduce the risk of injury to passengers in the rear in a head-on collision by lessening the strain placed on the ribcage.

Should the crash sensors detect a severe frontal impact, the airbag control unit will trigger deployment and inflation of the Beltbag. A gas generator then inflates the multi-layered belt strap with Velcro seams to nearly three times its normal width. The resulting larger surface area is able to better distribute the force acting on the seat occupant, thereby reducing the risk of injury.

“Mercedes-Benz is pursuing its safety initiative in the rear of vehicles with the Beltbag,” comments Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rodolfo Schöneburg, Head of Passive Safety and Vehicle Functions at Mercedes-Benz Cars. “After all, the excellent standard of safety offered by Mercedes-Benz doesn’t just apply to all model series, but to all seats, too.”

Mercedes did not mention which model will see it first, but did reveal it is due to go into production in a luxury-class model… very likely a new S-Class will be the first to feature Beltbag.

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