Judging solely by the name, a flotation device would be a good guess. But no, inflatable seatbelts are not meant to be used as flotation devices. Rather they are designed to offer back seat passengers additional protection during a car crash.

Past studies have shown that backseat passengers are significantly less likely to buckle up than are front seat drivers and passengers. "We wanted to bring the front-seat protection to the rear seat," said Saeed?