How the new rollover protection works.

DETROIT, Jan. 12, 2000 - Ford Motor Company will be the first to feature rollover sensors and special curtain rollover air bags on its sport utility vehicles during the 2001 model year.

"Ford scientists and engineers have been working hard to provide our truck customers with more potentially lifesaving features," says Helen Petrauskas, vice president, Environmental and Safety Engineering. "We've looked at the most threatening current driving conditions and developed new technologies to improve the protection for our SUV drivers and their families."

During the 2001 model year, Ford will offer optional new rollover sensors and inflatable side curtains on its SUVs. This breakthrough is made possible by the latest inflatable curtain technologies as well as advanced sensors that measure the amount of horizontal vehicle "roll" or tilt. The roll information is processed by a central control module that can trigger necessary rollover curtain bags in a fraction of a second - as quickly as 130 milliseconds.

The side curtain air bags will deploy through the SUV's headliner trim, helping to protect passengers in both the front- and second-row seats.

The curtain air bags are designed to remain inflated for up to six seconds - approximately the time it takes an average vehicle to roll over a few times. The new air bags will have fixed attachment points at the front and rear ends of the curtain to help prevent occupants from being thrown out of the vehicle during rollovers.

The new inflatable curtain system also will help reduce the risk of head injuries for SUV occupants involved in side impacts.

"SUVs are as safe or safer in protecting their occupants from serious injuries or fatalities as like-size passenger cars," says Petrauskas. "But they tend to be involved in different types of accidents."

Approximately half of all SUV fatalities involve rollover, and these deaths often involve occupants being ejected from the vehicle. In fact, occupants thrown from the vehicle are up to ten times as likely to be killed or seriously hurt than occupants who remain inside.

"Safety belt use is the most important factor in preventing these tragic circumstances, and occupants are best protected in SUV rollovers when they buckle up," Petrauskas explains. "However, our new inflatable curtain system will help protect occupants even when they don't use available restraints."

Ford also is doing its part to help remind people to use safety belts with the new BeltMinder ^TM system. BeltMinder ^TM uses a safety belt usage sensor located in the belt buckle to determine whether the driver is buckled up. If a driver is unbelted when the vehicle is in motion, a red light in the instrument panel illuminates, and a chime briefly sounds every 30 seconds for five minutes or until the driver fastens his or her safety belt. The company started putting the BeltMinder ^TM system on its 2000-model cars last year as standard equipment - and at no cost to customers.

"We've tried to cover all the bases," Petrauskas says. "This safety package will make our SUV lineup the most technologically advanced in the world."