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Washington — At a time when futuristic automobile security options are getting hype and a spotlight from tech fanatics, probably the most life-saving areas of innovation is targeted on a system first patented in 1962.
Consider the common-or-garden seat belt, particularly through the busy vacation journey season.
“Beyond the driver, seat belts are the most important safety system in the vehicle,” stated Jennifer Morrison, the director of auto security technique at Mazda North American Operations. “It saves the most lives. It’s the best thing anybody can do when they get in the car.”
The auto business has made essential enhancements to the acquainted system lately, together with wider adoption of refined crash response techniques for rear passenger seat belts. Those software-triggered and pyrotechnic-enabled techniques had been already saving lives for front-row riders, and their more and more frequent deployment within the second row has been a welcome shift for security advocates.
“We’ve seen tremendous automaker response,” stated Joe Young, a spokesperson for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Rear seat refresh
IIHS is extensively thought to be an business chief in advancing automobile security and not too long ago up to date certainly one of its key crash checks to spice up rear-seat safety. The group started performing its personal crash checks in 1995, which pushed automakers to dramatically enhance front-seat security within the ensuing years.
However, Young defined, that meant the relative threat to passengers shifted to the again seat as automakers targeted on security know-how for drivers and shotgun riders.
After observing that pattern in automobile crash information, IIHS launched a new test in 2022 — the “updated moderate overlap front crash test” — to encourage automotive and truck makers to use the identical stage of ingenuity to defending second-row … passengers.
The take a look at incorporates a automobile crashing straight into a hard and fast object at a 40% offset, a extra frequent kind of real-world wreck than 100% head-on collisions. The take a look at additionally newly included a dummy meant to simulate the scale of a small lady or a 12-year-old youngster within the second row behind the driving force dummy.
“We’ve seen really solid improvements,” Young stated in an interview. “In 2023, about a third of the rated vehicles got a ‘good’ rating in that test. Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve got about half of rated vehicles getting a ‘good’ rating, and 10% or 15% have ‘acceptable’ ratings.”
IIHS crash take a look at of 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV
This video, courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, exhibits “stellar protection” for again seat passengers within the 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV.
A major purpose for the enhancements has been extra widespread inclusion of rear outboard seat belt pretensioners and load-limiters in new automobiles.
Pretensioners are a tool that tightens the belt forward of a collision so passengers are pulled nearer into the seat and put right into a safer place to obtain the impacts each from the crash itself and the automobile’s air bag. Once a automobile detects an imminent crash — maybe by sudden forceful braking — the in-vehicle software program sends a sign for the mechanism to fireplace through a small, managed explosion.
Load-limiters are units that present a mechanical response after a crash so as to add slack again into the seat belt so it doesn’t keep too inflexible and end in cracked ribs or different inside accidents.
Other engineering and design choices, Young and different automobile security specialists famous, have additionally performed a task in enhancing rear seat security.
Seat geometry and development, for instance, are necessary for ensuring that passengers stay in safer positions throughout a collision. Tilted seats can stop riders from jolting too far ahead, and cushioning can soak up a number of the impression shortly transferred to the automobile.
Those design choices might help stop a harmful phenomenon often called “submarining,” which is when a automobile occupant slides ahead and the belt goes into the stomach.
“We need to make sure that that belt stays where it’s supposed to during the crash, which is low across the hips and across the clavicle,” Young stated.
The placement of security belt mounting on the seat itself — quite than the automobile body — additionally improves passenger safety by limiting the switch of exterior forces.
Mazda’s security push
Morrison, who was a crash investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board earlier than becoming a member of Mazda, stated the Japanese automaker strives to be an business chief in rear-occupant safety and security total. The firm has set a purpose of getting zero deadly crashes from new Mazda automobiles by 2040.
As a part of that purpose, starting within the first quarter of 2026, Mazda will change into the primary automaker to incorporate pretensioners and load-limiters on entrance and rear seats as an ordinary security characteristic on all of its new U.S. fashions with not less than two rows. (One mannequin, the MX5 Miata, doesn’t have rear seats.)
The firm has a smaller footprint within the United States than different main automakers — it hovers round 3% of the U.S. new automobile market — however has grown income considerably over the previous decade due to investments in its retail presence and its sturdy security repute.
“I think it’s important that you explore new technologies,” Morrison stated of extra flashy options like self-driving capabilities, lane-centering and adaptive cruise management. “But at the same time, double down on what you already do well, right?”
“Seat belts are so important. And it’s not just buckling up,” she added, alluding to the hidden and complex know-how able to deploy in case of a crash. “Buckling up is like, that’s what you do. That’s what the occupant does. We got the rest. (The seat belt) can do a bunch of stuff you don’t even know about.
“You’ve acquired a military of 14 units, primarily. It’s sensible sufficient to know if there’s anyone there and so they’re buckled.”
Industry-wide improvement
The nonprofit product rating, safety and advocacy organization Consumer Reports noted stronger rear-seat protection following the launch of the new IIHS test in 2022.
“For mannequin 12 months 2025, within the automobiles that we observe (about 353 fashions), 75% had rear outboard seat belt pretensioners and load-limiters,” said Dr. Emily Thomas, the associate director of auto safety at CR’s Auto Test Center.
“We are undoubtedly seeing extra of the know-how come commonplace in new automobiles,” she added in an email.
Thomas also praised Volvo Car AB for its introduction of a multi-adaptive seat belt in front seats for its 2026 EX60 model. The new technology will use sensors to adjust crash response based on passenger characteristics like height, weight and body shape.
Jeep-maker Stellantis NV has added rear seat belt pretensioners and load-limiters to seven of its U.S. models, starting with the Wrangler in 2024. General Motors Co. said the devices are available on “most” of its fashions, per spokesperson Bill Grotz.
Ford didn’t reply to a request for remark.
GM additionally promoted a few of its seat belt security options in a holiday blog post targeted on encouraging drivers and passengers to buckle up. The Detroit-based automaker highlighted its “Buckle to Drive” feature that is standard on 2025 and 2026 models and its rear seat belt reminder system that is available on “many” models.
When enabled, the Buckle to Drive system prevents drivers from shifting out of the park position for 20 seconds or until their seat belt is buckled. The feature applies to front seat passengers on some models, too.
That feature is meant to combat a sad reality of vehicle crashes.
IIHS rear seat belt demonstration
This video, courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows how rear passengers fare in crashes with and without a seat belt.
“We know from analysis,” said Young, the IIHS spokesperson, “that seat belt reminders which might be persistent and are loud truly do assist get lots of people to placed on their security belts. That’s actually necessary as a result of — it is fairly wild — in the event you take a look at the real-world information, although most individuals do belt up, nonetheless about half of the people who die in passenger automobile crashes weren’t carrying their seat belts.”
Young noted that the average age of a vehicle on U.S. roads is about 12 years, meaning millions of cars and trucks do not have the sensors and alert systems that have become more common. But they do have seat belts.
“If we may simply get everybody to belt up, it will be wonderful. It would actually minimize down on the variety of people who find themselves dying,” he said.
Young also made a plea for drivers and passengers to be especially careful and patient while traveling to see family and friends during the holiday season.
“As individuals are hitting the street, I believe my message is to do what they will as people to make the roads safer,” he said. “And that is to belt up, watch their velocity and keep away from impairment and distraction.”
@GrantSchwab
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