bmw seatbelts wrong way round?????

[jessiebear]

can anyone explain why in some models of bmw cars, the seatbelt plugs in the opposite side to most normal uk cars?
a mechanic friend suggested it is for easier quick release in an accident, but then questioned his theory by pointing out that in an accident, all emergency services immediately cut straight through a seat belt to get to the casualty as quick as possible!
thanks in advance x

[Buenchico]

This is a bit of a guess but here goes anyway:

Given the relative strengths of the body shell and of a seat back it has conventionally made more sense to have the upper anchoring point for a seatbelt attached to the body shell rather than to the seat itself. That means that the clip ends up being in the centre of the car but it also means that the driver and passenger end up almost holding hands as they seek to buckle up at the same time.

BMW seem to have decided that their seats are strong enough to attach the upper anchoring point to the seat itself, which permits them to reverse the usual arrangements.

It might also have something to do with the location and efficient operation of the pyrotechnic pretensioners. See here:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/ technology_guide/articles/safety_systems.html? content_type=&source=/com/en/insights/technolo gy/technology_guide/articles/integrated_seatbe lts.html&article=safety_systems
and here:
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/technology/ technology_guide/articles/integrated_seatbelts .html

Chris

[Panic Button]

This is another guess. Here goes

Perhaps BMW have taken a leaf out of Citroen's book, and decided to be different just for the sake of it..

[joe.laurence]

i think just to be different they did it, just for novelty

[Toureman]

As most BMW's are sold on the continent and are left hand drive perhaps they have left handed drivers, makes it easier to belt up, perhaps this explains why most BMW drivers don't know where their indicator switches are. lol.

[seare]

If it helps the rear seat belts in my mums 3series convertible come from the inside and clip in near the window (the wrong way round)