Ford Rolls Out More Standard Safety Equipment

Responding to the changing demographics of today's driving population, Ford Motor Company is researching two advanced next-generation safety belt technologies that could help further reduce the number of annual vehicle fatalities, which are at their lowest levels since 1994. One of Ford's possible next-generation safety belts incorporates a four-point "belt and suspenders" design in lieu of the familiar three-point safety belt, while a second possible future safety belt incorporates an air bag directly into the belt itself.

"A number of technical challenges still need to be overcome before implementing these restraint systems," said Dr. Priya Prasad, Ford Technical Fellow for Safety. "If we are successful in implementing these technologies, we will be redefining the nature of future occupant restraint systems." Ford's cutting-edge research into these new safety belt designs is being driven in part by the company's desire to meet the needs of an aging driving population and their changing physiology, while improving the most effective safety technology in a vehicle - the safety belt.

"Even with the variety of advanced features and technologies offered on today's vehicles, the single most important piece of safety technology in a car or truck today remains the safety belt," Prasad says. "That's why we're working hard to further improve safety belt and restraint technologies in the future - and offering more standard safety features in our 2007 model year products." Safety Comes Standard.

As part of the company's overall drive to further improve customer value and deliver safety innovation, Ford is adding side air bags and air curtains as standard equipment in many of its vehicles. Driver and front-safety passenger side air bags are standard equipment on the Ford Explorer XLT, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac and the Lincoln Town Car.