General Motors is rolling out all-new seatbelt technology, which is expected to help the automaker achieve coveted 5-star safety ratings. The Dynamic Locking Latch Plate (DLLP) is designed to provide the same level of comfort and convenience as traditional restraint systems, but it does much more during an accident.
The DLLP is capable of holding the lower torso in place and reducing load on the occupant’s chest. This system also keeps the legs from impacting the dashboard.
“It helps us control the lower torso in a crash, it keeps the femurs from contacting the instrument panel and it also gives us better tuning and control capability for the upper torso,” said Larry Kwiecinski, engineering group manager-Vehicle Safety Integration at GM. “We can then tune the retractor pretensioners to better interact with the airbags during the crash event.”
The National High Traffic Safety Administration introduced stricter testing guidelines beginning with 2011 model year vehicles. This motivated GM to improve upon its existing safety technologies, particularly since vehicle safety remains one of the most important concerns among car buyers.
“The rating is very difficult,” says Kwiecinski. “Very difficult criteria levels (and) five stars are critical in the marketplace.”
GM isn’t the first automaker to bring the DLLP to market, but it is an early adopter. In the wake of stricter safety guides, GM did consider adding knee bags and other technologies to new vehicles, but DLLP was a low-cost solution to meeting an automaker’s crash requirements.
“While cost was a consideration, it was more the drive to score well and to provide the safety benefits in a short amount of time, so the solution-set is somewhat limited,” Kwiecinski says. “You can’t redesign the whole vehicle.”
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