Evolution Of Car Safety -A Sneak Peek Into History
In 1886, Carl Benz patented the first vehicle powered by a gas engine and now about 1.35 million people die...
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n 1886, Carl Benz patented the first vehicle powered by a gas engine and now about 1.35 million people die in road-related accidents each year. The first cars made were slow, only going up to 10mph. At that time, it was probably very hard to control as it was a new invention. But it did begin the journey of implementing car safety to avoid every possible situation. Let's look at how car safety has evolved over time.
Over The Years
In 1903, Mary Anderson decided it did not make sense that people had to get out of their cars to get the snow off their cars, so she patented the first wiper blades that were operated by hand so that drivers could clean the snow off their cars without even getting off.
The headrest was invented by Benjamin Katz in 1921 to reduce injuries caused by whiplash. Around this time, Frederick Duesenberg used hydraulic brakes for the first time which took a lot less force to operate.
The first safety glass was introduced in 1927, which would not shatter on impact. So, the windshield didn't shatter and fewer people were injured by broken windshield incidents. This also helps reduce car thefts as it wasn’t as easy as breaking the window and getting in since the window was now harder to break than it was before.
Padded dashboards were added to reduce chest or face injuries caused by accidents in 1947. The first car to have a padded dashboard was the Tucker.
Then came the 1950’s where technology started to evolve achieving many feats. With that, the evolution of the technology of car safety was also accelerated as cars were made faster, and easier to drive, thus bringing in different kinds of risks.
In 1951 came the first airbag which was made by Walter Linder. The airbag could be released by the driver or if in the case of an accident the car bumper is hit, the airbag will automatically fly out.
In 1959, the first three-point seatbelt was made that would strap over the shoulder, chest, and lap. This invention was made by Nils Bohlin and it has stayed with us even today being one of the biggest car safety inventions made.
In 1963, the three-point seatbelts were improved so that the seatbelt would adjust to the passengers' preferences as they moved. Around this time, the windshield wipers were also made intermittent.
From 1966 to 1968, it was made mandatory to have front seatbelts, back lap belts, white reverse lights as well as padded dashboards. The anti-lock braking system was also introduced for the first time in a Jensen FF. This prevents the car from steering out of control especially on wet roads, it's very advantageous.
In 1970, Australia became the first country to make seatbelts compulsory in every car. At this time, a rear-wheel anti-lock braking system was introduced.
In 1979, the highway traffic administration in America began crash testing the new cars that came out to see how effective the safety measures taken really were. These results were published and made public.
In 1981, a supplemental restraint system airbag was made for the driver's seat, Mercedes Benz being the first to release it.
Then came the 2000’s, the next era and millennium. A lot of technology was introduced and perfected by this time and road safety was taken to a whole other level.
Around 500,000 truck-related accidents occur per year in America, so in the year 2000, a lane departure warning system was developed that would audibly, visually, and physically signal truck drivers if they leave their lane.
In 2004, the blind spot information system was introduced by Volvo. This is basically a system that uses motion sensors and cameras to avoid accidents while parallel parking or such.
In 2008, Volvo introduced automatic emergency brakes that would, upon sensing a pedestrian or oncoming car, automatically brake.
In 2009, an anti-skid system was created by Citroen and Bosch called snow motion which would help drivers when driving on snowy, icy, or wet roads.
Well now technology has come so far that you don’t even need to drive, you just put it in a location and the car will take you where you need it. A true testament to how far humanity has come.
