| Seat BeltWearing seat belts in cars has been compulsory in Germany since 1976. This law has greatly reduced the amount of injuries suffered in road traffic accidents. The most common occupant protection system in use today is the three-point automatic seat belt. Its function is to restrain the occupants in their seats in the event of an accident so that they are decelerated at the same rate as the passenger cell in which they are sitting, and are not exposed to severe, uncontrolled forces. The automatic inertia reel enables the seat belt to be fastened easily, and offers maximum wear comfort for people of widely varying body shapes and sizes.´The belt stopper is a mechanical locking system which traps the belt above the reel, thereby preventing the so-called film reel effect. Belt tensioners compensate for belt slack by tightening the belt on impact, pulling it tighter to the occupant's body. The belt force limiter, in interaction with the belt tensioners and airbags, reduces the risk of injury to the occupants' upper bodies. Two belt retractors, as are used on the 18-way seats in the Phaeton, provide the driver and front passenger with enhanced wear comfort and added safety based on the optimised belt routing. |
