Volvo was the first company to introduce three-point belts in their vehicles as standard to reduce injuries in accidents. It was invented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin in 1959 on the Volvo Amazon and Volvo PV544 models. After 66 years, Volvo continues the evolution of belts by now being able to adjust tension during an accident according to the size, weight, height and position of the user's body.
Sensors in the vehicle will monitor all of these parameters and the belt tension will be adjusted as needed. On the market today, belts have 3 load limit settings. Volvo's new system increases this to 11. This makes it the world's first multi-adaptive belt.
According to Volvo, this system will continue to be improved with the data they continue to collect. OTA updates will be provided to make these smart belts even safer in line with Volvo's efforts to produce death-proof cars since 2016. These belts will be used for the first time on the Volvo EX60 which will be marketed in 2026.