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Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
This sounds quite stupid to be honest. No wonder automakers had to resort to those automatic seat belts in the '90s, too bad they were only fitted to the front seats even on 4-door cars which could also have them on the rear seat.
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Automatic seat belts were a way for automakers to avoid putting airbags in cars. Starting in 1987 they had to pass US crash standards with no action required by the occupants. Automatic seatbelts met that criteria and were cheaper than airbags. When airbags became mandatory in 1998 automatic seatbelts disappeared. They were only in the front seat because crash regulations only applied to the two outboard positions of the front seat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr
How effective these designs are in preventing the same injuries to unbelted drivers? Or is it only effective to prevent worse (and maybe life-threatening) injuries to unbelted drivers?
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The purpose it to prevent massive injuries to an unbelted occupant. You can see in this video how the knees go into the dash, holds the person in position and keeps them from sliding down into the footwell.
(Of course this works best when the seat is set to the position required by the test and with a dummy the size and weight required for the test. Riding with the seat farther back and in the reclined position defeats these passive safety features as does being smaller than the test dummy)