Vehicle restraint system

Claim 1

A safety system comprising: a vehicle for providing human transportation, said vehicle comprising a front end that leads said vehicle during normal movement thereof; seating means including a seat for accommodating a passenger of said vehicle, said seat comprising a substantially horizontal base portion for supporting the buttocks of the passenger and a substantially vertical back rest portion for supporting the back thereof; inflatable air cushion means comprising a pair of independently inflatable bags one disposed on each side of said seat so as to be forced upon inflation into mutually engaging positions adjacent the abdomen of the passenger; collision responsive detector means for simultaneously inflating said bags in response to detection of a collision or impending collision of said vehicle; lateral support means for restraining the self-induced lateral thrust produced by engagement of said inflated bags, said support means comprising a support member on each side of said seat; and a flexible, non-elastic restraint means secured to each of said bags so as to restrain upward movement thereof, one of said restraint means having one end secured to the mutually engaged surface of one of said bags and the other said restraint means having one end secured to the mutually engaged surface of the other bag, the opposite ends of said restraint means being secured to said vehicle.