The invention discloses a belt retractor comprising a frame (10), a belt reel (12) which is arranged rotatably in the frame (10) and can receive a seat belt (14), at least one load limiter (16) which enables the belt reel (12), when it overcomes a braking torque provided by the load limiter (16), to rotate relative to the frame (10) so as to release seat belt (14), and a switchable clutch (26) including a switching cage (22) and coupling elements (24), wherein the switching cage (22) can be shifted by means of an actor (28) from an open position in which the coupling elements (24) are maintained disengaged from the belt reel (12) to a closed position in which the coupling elements (24) engage the belt reel (12). In order to achieve a compact design, the belt retractor includes an actuator (38) which is coupled to the actor (28) and a freewheel (40) which couples the switching cage (22) to the actuator (38) so that the actuator (38) can shift the switching cage (22) from the open position to the closed position.

A vehicle safety restraint arrangement includes a retractable and extractable belt, a belt reel on which the belt is windable, a retraction mechanism adapted to retract the belt from an extracted position, and a belt retraction brake adapted to limit the retraction speed of the belt during retraction of the belt by imparting a braking force to the belt reel during retraction of the belt via inductance. The present disclosure also relates to a method for limiting the retraction speed of a belt arranged on a belt reel.