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Stretchy Seatbelt Fiber Improves Safety

20 December 1999

Stretchy Seatbelt Fiber Improves Safety; Coming in 2001, Seatbelts Designed to Provide Greater Safety With Airbags

    PETERSBURG, Va., Dec. 20 -- A little give can go a long way
toward seatbelt safety in the new millennium.
    A new seatbelt fiber stretches slightly to allow the passenger's upper
body to slowly move into the airbag, helping to prevent injuries in accidents,
according to its inventor, Honeywell Performance Fibers.
    Seatbelts made with Securus(TM) fiber are expected to be installed first
in the rear seat of cars in the mid-2001 model year and to replace mechanical
devices currently used with polyester seatbelts.
    "Securus is a 'smart response fiber' because it knows when to hold and
when to relax in an accident," said Greg Rogowski, director of marketing for
the Petersburg, Virginia-based business.
    Securus fibers deliver a three-step reaction in an accident: First, the
high-strength fibers hold passengers tightly in place at impact;
    Then, Securus fibers relax or stretch as needed to limit the force on the
occupant and cushion the body's movement into the airbag.
    Finally, the fibers hold again as the car halts and prevents the passenger
from hitting the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield as the airbag
deflates.
    Today's seatbelt fabrics allow very little give in an accident without the
assistance of mechanical devices.  This dramatically increases the amount of
force across a person's chest and can lead to severe secondary injuries.
    Honeywell International Inc. -- the resulting company of a merger between
AlliedSignal Inc. and Honeywell Inc. -- developed patented Securus fiber in
response to a decade-long search by the industry for seatbelts that work more
safely with an airbag in a vehicle crash.
    Seatbelts and airbags together enable passengers to survive 60 percent of
all accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, which estimates some 75,000 lives have been saved and
1.5 million injuries prevented by seatbelt use since 1982.
    Seatbelts made with Securus fiber can provide greater protection for
passengers of all sizes -- from a small child to a 250-pound male -- because
this fiber tailors its response in an accident to the passenger's size.
    "Securus fiber provides dramatic safety benefits for smaller adults and
children," Rogowski said.