Seatbelt is the first safety feature in a vehicle which plays a crucial role in saving the life of the occupants in case of a collision. It keeps the body static and prevents it from coming into contact with the surface which can leave the passengers wounded. Over the time, we have seen technological developments in this area like the active pretensioners which grip the body even when you drive beyond a certain speed and obviously while sensing a collision situation.
However, it goes without saying that all of it will come into play only when it’s hooked and the latest development aims exactly at improving the practice of putting on the seatbelt. Mercedes-Benz is testing heated seatbelts in its prototype and interestingly it looks very much like an usual seatbelt. It has heated tubes inserted in the fabric to keep it warm. It operates in conjunction at same temperature level as the heated seats and armrests we have seen in Mercedes-Benz top of the line Models.
The Stuttgart based carmaker says that this would encourage its customers to fasten the seatbelts as they would love to be in a soothing temperature. The technology is even more relevant for cold regions where low temperature is actually an issue. Even in central, Eastern and Northern parts of India where temperature hits extreme low in winters, such technology will go in favour of adopting the practice of putting on the seatbelts. In India, where wearing seatbelt is a rarity and people in metro cities only do because of the law enforcement, such technology could actually help in making the practice more common.