3-Point Seatbelt Turns 50
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the most important lifesaving device in automotive safety: the 3-point seatbelt. Patented in 1959, the 3-point safety belt has saved more than one million lives and was introduced in the Volvo Amazon (120) and PV 544 in the Nordic markets. Volvo thus became the first car maker in the world to equip its cars with 3-point safety belts as standard.Invented by Volvo safety engineer, Nils Bohlin in 1958, the 3-point belt has played a central role for occupant protection in all Volvo’s cars since its introduction in 1959. Volvo offered standard fitted front-seat 3-point seatbelts in the US in 1963 and rear-seat 3-point belts in 1972. Recognizing the 3-point seatbelt’s safety potential, Volvo Cars quickly released the patent so that other car manufacturers could offer the revolutionary design in their vehicles. Today, every modern car comes standard with 3-point seatbelts.
It is the safety belt’s ability to keep the occupant in the seat that is of crucial importance. All told, the belt reduces the risk of fatalities and serious injuries from collisions by about 50 percent. Seatbelt usage in the US reached its highest rate in 2008, with 83 percent of front-seat occupants buckling up.
This is one of those rare innovations that has affected everyone who has been in a vehicle. Hopefully, there are many more safety innovations with the magnitude of the 3-point seat belt system to come in the future
