Patent ID: 7845669

Claim:
A safety restraint for use with a towing assembly, the towing assembly attached at a first end to a towing vehicle and at a second end to a towed vehicle with first and second connection assemblies on the towing and towed vehicles, respectively, comprising: an elongate, hollow body for receiving the towing assembly comprising at least two fibers combined in a multi-axis braid pattern that extends from a first end to a second end of the body; and coupling mechanisms attached to each of the ends of the body, the coupling mechanisms comprising mounting plates and adapted for attaching the first end of the body to the towing vehicle and the second end to the towed vehicle, wherein, after attachment of the safety restraint to the vehicles, the fibers of the braid pattern at least partially encapsulate the towing assembly including extending over and encapsulating at least a portion of each of the first and second connection assemblies, wherein the towing assembly comprises a tow bar coupled at the first end and at the second end for pitch and yaw movements and wherein the braid pattern of the hollow body has adequate flexibility to move with the tow bar during the pitch and yaw movements, wherein the body has a tensile yield strength sufficient to enable the towing vehicle to tow the towed vehicle when the towing assembly fails, and wherein, upon failure of an encapsulated portion of the towing assembly, the hollow body retains the encapsulated portion including the encapsulated portion of each of the first and second connection assemblies within the hollow body.