NEW TYPE OF BELT IN BRITAIN

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29897, 10 August 1962, Page 9

NEW TYPE OF BELT IN BRITAIN

A SAFETY harness which is claimed to allow drivers and passengers complete freedom of movement may soon be available in Britain, and several leading

manufacturers are considering installing it when seat belts become compulsory on new cars, says the “Daily Telegraph.”

The belt webbing is drawn from an inertia reel, mounted inside the door pillar. Light pressure on the belt enables the webbing to run off the reel smoothly so that the wearer’s normal movements are practically unrestricted.

Under sudden braking or the force of an impact, the reel locks instantly, holding the wearer securely in his seat. When not in use the webbing retracts out of the way on to the reel. The inertia reel system overcomes two of the major objections against conventional belts with fixed anchorages, These are that in some cars it is impossible to operate all the controls when a belt is worn, and that the webbing creates an untidy jumble.

The new harness was devised by a former R.A.F. fighter-timber pilot, Mr W. E. Rand. “We are submitting it for approval by the British Standards Institution. Our own tests show it passes the official standard comfortably,” he said. With a combined lap and diagonal strap layout, the harness is expected to cost under £6. Later it is hoped to produce a full harness version, with the inertia reel built into the back of the car seat.

Mr Rand designed the harness, based on the same principle, that was introduced experimentally in Citroen cars two years ago. “It was rather ponderous and more costly than the latest system,” he said.