Skoda has patented new seat belt buckles. I can see this solution
What do illuminated seat belt buckles give? I don't know if you will understand this.
Whoever has never struggled with a child seat in the dark and in the rain, unable to locate the seat belt buckle in the dark, will not understand this Skoda patent.
Who has never wondered in the dark if the child on the back seat is lying saying yes, I have buckled myself for sure, will not appreciate this Skoda patent.
Who has never wondered if his mother-in-law is able to fasten the seat belts correctly, this Skoda patent will have mixed feelings. As it happens with concern for the mother-in-law's safety.
Skoda has patented illuminated seat belt buckles.
Illuminated buckles are not visual tuning
In the patented buckle, the LEDs are placed under the lock release button. The LEDs are white when no one is sitting on the spot. The buckle is then clearly visible in the dark, which will certainly make it easier to attach the belt to it when we are outside the car ourselves, separated from the buckle by the child in the seat.
When the seat is occupied, the color changes to red, reminding the passenger to wear a seat belt. This is where the advantage of being able to control unruly passengers is revealed. Their lie will glow red, and truthfulness will be proven with green, because this color appears when the seat belt is correctly fastened. The LED button has a pattern on top to help diffuse the light, and the clasps can be programmed to flash.
Skoda is not the first brand to feature buckles, but its design sets it apart from the competition.
Where are the illuminated belt buckles?
I would install illuminated buckles everywhere. Apart from the fact that at night, together with ambient lighting, they create a nice impression, they are also really helpful. Not only the child seat can be a problem when fastening the seat belt. Even a winter jacket or a large coat can make hitting the buckle difficult. Therefore, the facilitation of backlighting should become more and more common.
Buckles can glow in some Audi models, I liked the S6. A few years ago, a slightly different solution was patented by Mercedes. When the rear doors were opened, the seat belt buckles on the rear row of seats would extend and turn on the backlight at the same time. And after the passenger took the seat, they were to return to their original position.
It is not known when and if at all, the Skoda patent will go into production, but the illuminated buckles are something for which I would gladly pay extra from PLN 5 in the salon. After all, LED lighting is cheap, maybe it's time to install it yourself. Only then will the buckle not change color under pressure. It is difficult, one color would satisfy me temporarily.
