New advances in automobile safety make driving a safer experience for commuters and families taking an extended vacation. In the mid-1970s, airbags were installed in many American cars. Mercedes Benz developed the crumple zone concept in the late 1950s.
But estimates reveal that the wrongful deaths of more than a million people around the world have been saved by a simple strap that turns 50 this year. The three-point seat belt was developed in 1959 by the Volvo car company, and that invention has been saving lives ever since.
Our car accident lawyers know that seat belts save lives. Seventy-five percent of people ejected from a car in an automobile accident suffer wrongful death. Volvo’s three-point safety belt — now installed in every car — reduces the risk whiplash and wrongful death by at least 50 percent.
When Volvo invented the safety belt in 1959, they were so convinced of its potential that it made the patent available for other manufacturers and motorists. Volvo was of course the first car manufacturer to use the three-point safety belt in its cars — the first of which was the Volvo PV544 — and in 1963, Volvo led the way in becoming the first to make the three-point seat belt standard in all its cars.
The idea for the three-point safety belt came from a Swedish engineer who worked for Saab’s aviation division. Before “click it or ticket” became a popular saying, a lot of cars didn’t even have a seat belt, and worse, many people didn’t use it when their car had it.
These days, clicking your seat belt is part of the driving routine — thanks in no small part to Volvo.
“For the majority of motorists, clicking the seat belt into place is as much a part of the ritual to beginning a car journey as starting the engine,” said the managing director of Volvo Car UK.
Technology to keep drivers safe in cars changes every day, and more new safety features are being developed. The side airbag was developed in 1995, and that new idea is working with the seat belt and the frontal airbag to prevent personal injury and wrongful death.
We car accident lawyers support any new technology that is aimed at improving the safety of drivers before automobile accidents happen. Any technology that proves to be beneficial in preventing injury or wrongful death should be used in future automobiles.
Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines