Skoda has patented a new trick that aims to make seat belt use in cars more effective. These are luminous seat belt buckles, which are intended to assist the occupants by showing different colors.
Every now and then a novelty pops up in the automotive industry that makes you wonder whether it is a gimmick or a real addition. We tend to think the second of these Skoda luminous seat belt buckles. The fact that the seat belt buckles provide light should contribute to the fact that seat belts are always worn in the car. They indicate the status of the seat belts by means of colors and this should increase awareness.
It goes like this; normally the belt buckles are illuminated in white. As soon as someone sits down in a chair, a sensor detects this and the seat belt buckles are illuminated red. This makes it clear that the seat belt still needs to be attached at that location. The moment the belt is clicked into the buckle, the light turns green and then returns to white. In addition to raising awareness, the light should also help to find the closures in dark conditions. Another advantage, according to Skoda, may be that people can see at a glance whether, for example, children have properly attached their seat belts.
Although concrete production plans are not yet discussed, Skoda says it has obtained a worldwide patent on the invention. There is a good chance that this will eventually appear in Skoda’s. Let’s hope that Skoda – just like Volvo’s with the three-point belt at the time – is so kind as to make the invention freely available to other manufacturers.