After about a decade of engineering, Ford is ready to roll out a technology that will improve safety for rear-seat passengers: inflatable seat belts, according to USA Today.

The belts expand like an air bag in the event of a crash and distribute the force of the impact across a wider area of the passenger's chest. The belts, covered in a softer webbing than regular seat-belt material, may also make back-seat passengers more willing to buckle up.

"It feels a lot different; it's softer and more lightly woven," says Sue Cischke, group vice president of sustainability, environmental and safety engineering. "When we asked people to sample them, they said it feels less rigid and more comfortable."

Consistent seat-belt use is lower for rear-seat than front-seat passengers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 83% of front-seat passengers buckled up consistently in 2008, vs. 74% of rear-seat passengers.