Method and system for occupant protection in a vehicle

A vehicle occupant protection system, comprising:

• a seat for accommodating an occupant;
• a connection mechanism adapted to slidably connect the seat and a vehicle;
• a locking mechanism to lock the seat in a defined seating position, to prevent sliding in the connection mechanism when locked and to allow sliding when unlocked;
• a crash sensor element adapted for determining an imminent or ongoing vehicle crash;
• an airbag element;
• and,
• a seating position sensor element adapted for determining a seating position;
• wherein, upon a determination of the seat being in a rearward seating position and occurrence of an imminent or ongoing vehicle crash, the locking mechanism is unlocked, to allow the sliding of the seat from the rearward seating position towards a conventional driving seating position,
• wherein the sliding of the seat from the rearward seating position towards the conventional driving seating position is performed by using inertial energy from the vehicle crash;
• wherein the airbag element is configured to be adapted in its shape, structure, and/or material based on an estimated future seating position.