VEHICLE safety experts are urging car makers to develop smarter seat belts to protect older drivers from chest injuries.
In research conducted at Loughborough University and the University of Birmingham in the UK and at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, Ruth Welsh and colleagues found that people aged 65 and over 鈥渨ere significantly more prone to serious chest injury鈥� than younger drivers and front-seat passengers, with most injuries caused by seat belts tightening too much.
Car makers should introduce seat belts that can vary their tension according to the driver鈥檚 age and bone density, the team suggests. Last year a consortium including Nissan Technical Centre Europe and Cranfield University, both in Bedfordshire, UK, developed a prototype ultrasound device to scan the fingers of drivers and estimate their bone strength.
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