A new seatbelt design is being claimed as ‘the world’s first female-friendly seatbelt’. Sheilas’ Wheels, a UK-based insurance company specialising in insurance for female drivers, has teamed up with engineers to design a new device that it claims prevents the belt strap causing discomfort across the chest and will get more female drivers buckling up.
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The firm says that 92% of women admit to tampering with or not wearing their seatbelt due to the discomfort it causes whilst driving. Automotive engineers at MIRA worked on the new design which is said to ‘cater for women’s curves’.
Research by Sheilas’ Wheels revealed that it shouldn’t be a case of ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to seatbelts. One in five women complained of discomfort across the chest when they were buckled-up – especially those with larger breasts, the firm said.
Alarmingly, the firm notes, this ‘discomfort’ is potentially endangering the lives of female motorists:
– almost a quarter (23%) reduce the effectiveness of their seatbelt by slipping it under their arm whilst driving;
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By GlobalData– more than one in eight (14%) have failed to buckle-up at all;
– over half (55%) have adjusted their belts to make them more comfortable.
In response to these findings, Shelias’ Wheels and MIRA have invented the ‘S-Clip’: a simple device that changes the route of the belt to take it down the middle of the chest – directly between the cleavage – instead of cutting across the breasts. This adjustment minimises flattening of the chest and rubbing on the neck, the firm says.
It has been subjected to crash test dummy safety checks to ensure that neither the clip, nor the desired re-routing of the diagonal belt strap, impedes the effectiveness of the actual seatbelt or increases the likelihood of injury in the event of an accident.
Lisa Bingley, project engineer at MIRA said: “Women come in all shapes and sizes and it’s great that seatbelt comfort can now be seen in a similar way to a bra or a dress fitting. We hope this device aids women to wear their seatbelt in the correct manner in more comfort.”
Sheilas’ Wheels said it hopes that this research and ‘S-Clip’ concept may become a more permanent solution and is currently speaking to car and restraint manufacturers.
Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas’ Wheels said: “Women are putting themselves at risk by not wearing their seatbelt properly, or worse still, failing to buckle-up at all because they aren’t comfortable in the driving seat. We hope that by highlighting this problem, manufacturers will look into more long-term design solutions to improve seatbelt comfort for women. In the meantime, we urge female motorists to make sure they always wear their seatbelt, and wear it properly – no matter how much it digs into their neck or chest.”
