On the point of the inflatable seatbelt, well it seems that a lot of manufacturers are at it at the moment (Mercedes previewed it in the summer), and consider it a good idea.
I cannot believe that anyone tries to justify not wearing a seatbelt in the first place with comments like "we didn't when we were kids and a few of us survived". I live in a small country and every single accident is on the news in graphic detail. For very obvious reasons, those killed or severely wounded and not wearing a seatbelt, are considerably more than those that wore a seatbelt. Even more importantly, the vast majority of cars involved are older generation and lacking safety features, whether passive (like airbags) or active (like ESP). If we survived (and I count myself in the generation that travelled without car seats and seatbelts as a child) is because we were not involved in a crash in the first place. Those that were involved, were not always so fortunate. I am gratefull that I and my family live in the age of safety innovation and hope that further advances are made, not just in passive safety, but more impportantly active safety. I enjoy driving, and enjoy driving briskly, but (a) I'd rather have benign handling and a safety net (ESP) in an emergency (ever suffered aquaplanning - the result of some horrible "premium" tyres - on the motorway to really appreciate ESP?) instead of on-the-limit "fun" and "back to basics" frills and (b) in the event of the inevitable, to have something sturdy and protective around me. I really enjoyed my early years in RWD Escorts (tail-out) and MX-5s, but I really do know where I would rather put my family in, and it is neither of the two.
