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Seatbelt Innovation For Real Women

New 'S-Clip' Encourages Women Drivers to Buckle-up

LONDON - February 2: Today, the world's first female-friendly seatbelt is revealed. Top engineers have designed a new device that prevents the belt strap causing discomfort across the chest and aims to get more female drivers buckling up.

92% of women admit to tampering with or not wearing their seatbelt due to the discomfort it causes whilst driving. With this in mind Sheilas' Wheels - the major new car insurance brand for women - has teamed up with world-renowned automotive engineers, MIRA, to transform the traditional seatbelt design and cater for women's curves.

Research by Sheilas' Wheels revealed that it shouldn't be a case of 'one size fits all' when it comes to seatbelts. One in five women complained of discomfort across the chest when they were buckled-up - especially those with larger breasts.

Alarmingly, this 'discomfort' is potentially endangering the lives of female motorists:

- almost a quarter (23%) reduce the effectiveness of their seatbelt by slipping it under their arm whilst driving;

- more than one in eight (14%) have failed to buckle-up at all;

- over half (55%) have adjusted their belts to make them more comfortable.

In response to these findings, Shelias' Wheels and MIRA have invented the 'S-Clip': a simple device that changes the route of the belt to take it down the middle of the chest - directly between the cleavage - instead of cutting across the breasts. This adjustment minimises flattening of the chest and rubbing on the neck.

It has been subjected to crash test dummy safety checks(i) to ensure that neither the clip, nor the desired re-routing of the diagonal belt strap, impedes the effectiveness of the actual seatbelt or increases the likelihood of injury in the event of an accident.

Lisa Bingley, project engineer at MIRA explains: "Women come in all shapes and sizes and it's great that seatbelt comfort can now be seen in a similar way to a bra or a dress fitting. We hope this device aids women to wear their seatbelt in the correct manner in more comfort."

Sheilas' Wheels hopes that this research and 'S-Clip' concept may become a more permanent solution and is currently speaking to car and restraint manufacturers.

Jacky Brown, spokeswoman for Sheilas' Wheels explains: "Women are putting themselves at risk by not wearing their seatbelt properly, or worse still, failing to buckle-up at all because they aren't comfortable in the driving seat. We hope that by highlighting this problem, manufacturers will look into more long-term design solutions to improve seatbelt comfort for women. In the meantime, we urge female motorists to make sure they always wear their seatbelt, and wear it properly - no matter how much it digs into their neck or chest."

Notes to Editors:

Research: To inform the project, Shelias' Wheels spoke to 25 female estate agents - who spend a lot of time behind the wheel - on comfort issues surrounding the use of a seatbelt. The findings then fed into the development of an ICM poll which spoke to 534 women.

(i)The Sled test was conducted on 6 January 2006 to demonstrate that correct use of the 'S-Clip' does not reduce the effectiveness of the belt or lead to an increased risk of injury by head impacts against the car interior - the most common cause of serious injury during an accident. Using a crash test dummy, a "reverse accelerator" simulation of a typical crash test was conducted on MIRA's HyGe Sled rig to replicate the conditions of a frontal collision. The results were positive and revealed that the 'S-Clip' was unlikely to increase the severity of a head strike against the steering wheel or dashboard.

About Sheilas' Wheels: Sheilas' Wheels launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and product enhancements including GBP300 handbag cover - for bags stolen from the car - competitive breakdown recovery rates, a dedicated counseling line run by trained professionals to help customers cope with driving issues such as road rage, and a network of female-friendly mechanics.

About MIRA: MIRA is a leading independent provider of product engineering, research, testing, information and certification to the worldwide automotive industry. www.mira.co.uk

STORYBOARD AND IMAGERY AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

For further information please contact: Sam Metalli or Chris Lauwerys at Lexis Public Relations, Tel: +44-(0)20-7908-6513 / +44-(0)20-7908-6465 Email: smetalli@lexispr.com