Cars – The History of Safety Features

Even people who were born a hundred years after they were created can recognize the old cars of the Victorian era. Though these were the forebears to modern trucks, SUVs, and sports cars, they bear almost no resemblance to them. When it comes to things like vehicular safety, the difference becomes even more dramatic.

Early cars were little more than a seat, some wheels, an engine, and a way to steer. They had no seat belts, and many didn’t even have windshields or roofs. The engine was started by a crank in the front of the vehicle, which posed several hazards in it- it wasn’t uncommon for cranks to suddenly spin backward, breaking the arm of the hapless person doing the cranking. These cars were also hard to control, and offered a very bumpy, uncomfortable ride. Accidents were common, making these early cars little more than impractical toys, unfit for everyday use.

Eventually, manufacturers recognized that cars needed to be a little more involved than they were. Gradually, automotive makers added a roof to their models, and mirrors for seeing around and behind the car. Cars’ bodies became more enclosed, too, and provided more protection for drivers and passengers.

In 1950, a neurologist patented his idea for the first retractable seat belts. Some manufacturers began offering seat belts as a standard feature as early as 1958, but it would be many more years before they became a standard feature in every car. Soon, cars began coming with other features designed to protect occupants, like roll bars, roll cages, reinforced bodies, and other things that would limit how much the vehicle would crush in the event of a serious accident.

Today, seat belts are found in every car, and many other cars come equipped with roll bars or cages. With the advent of creating lighter-weight bodies for cars, manufacturers designed built-in “crumple zones,” which are designed to give in upon impact to spare other parts of the car. Once cars began having computerized components, even more advanced safety features were developed. Now, there are cars that can break automatically when an imminent collision is detected, and even alert drivers when there’s an obstacle behind the car.

Cars today are a far cry from the loud, dusty death traps that the first automobiles were. New safety features to protect drivers, passengers, and pedestrians are being developed on an almost constant basis, leading to even more advancements in the science of vehicular safety.

Cars – The History of Safety Features