(Fijen)
In the famous story, a young boy saved The Netherlands from flooding by plugging a dike with his finger. Now a new device aims to save people in The Netherlands from drowning by pulling something out.
The Escape Belt is a new accessory that latches onto a seatbelt buckle and automatically releases it if the car becomes submerged in water. In an oceanfront country that’s laced with canals and has 20 percent of its land mass below sea level, it’s not uncommon for drivers to find themselves in this predicament.
The device uses the same technology found in self-inflating life jackets where a small pill that dissolves in water acts as at trigger for the spring activated unlocking mechanism. The company suggests that it would come in particularly handy if you have children in your car and need to get them out quickly.
The Escape Belt sells for about $40.00 in The Netherlands and needs to be replaced every two years. There are no plans to offer it in the United States just yet, but if you’re worried about this sort of accident happening to you there’s always the Life Hammer which has a seat belt cutter and pointed hammer to quickly break through closed windows. It’s not automated, but sometimes you just need to take things into your own hands.