The Seatbelt By: Riley Smith

Why We Need Seatbelts The first modern automobile was invented by Karl Benz in It was a three-wheeled gas powered horseless carriage. The automobile had a top speed of 16 Km/h or 10 mph. First patented automobile created by Karl Benz.

Large Safety Issue As motor vehicles advanced they became much faster, which subsequently made them larger safety hazards. Cars have become much more affordable, adding to the amount of drivers on the road, and therefore crashes experienced each year. During the 1920’s and 30’s when lap belts were special features in cars an estimated 30,000 people died each year in car crashes. Without seatbelts drivers are at a great risk of injury and even death.

The First Seatbelt Edward Claghorn patented the first seatbelt on February 10 th, The belt was a simple lap belt designed solely for keeping the occupant in the vehicle they were traveling in. Claghorn called his invention a safety-belt for tourists. Schematic for Claghorn’s first patented safety-belt.

No Success Although this belt was patented early in the automotive industry timeline it took a while for the idea to be implemented by auto manufacturers. Claghorn’s lap belt became popular in the airplane industry with many pilots using the lap belt to secure themselves while preforming flips in the air. It took until 1956, for auto manufactures like Ford, Chrysler, and Volvo to start to offer the lap belt as an accessory in the cars they produced. Many people believed the lap belt would hurt the occupant in the event of a crash, by adding more force to the waist. This belief hindered the success of the lap belt.

Nils Bohlin: Father of The Modern Seatbelt Nils Bohlin engineered the first modern three-point seatbelt in 1959 while working for Volvo. The belt improved on the lap belt by adding a restraint across the torso. Bohlin concieved his idea when a similar concept was patented by Roger W Griswold and Hugh DeHaven. Bohlin improved on Griswold and DeHaven’s design by allowing the belt to be pulled across the body with one swift movement, which is why he is credited with the invention.

Nils Bohlin demonstrating his invention, the modern three-point seat belt.

How Seatbelts Work The physics behind seatbelts involves the rather simple concept of impulse. The impulse equation: FΔt=mv f -mv i During a collision a seatbelt will extend the amount of time it takes a person to come to rest, which will ultimately decrease the amount of force exerted on that person as modeled in the impulse equation. This will decrease the severity of the accident. Also, a three-point seatbelt spreads the force over a larger portion of the body compared to a lap belt, this decreases the amount of force experienced on any part of the body, which reduces the risk of injury.

Seatbelts become Popular The first cars to use Bohlin’s seatbelt, and the first ever to have seatbelts as a standard feature were the Volvo Amazon and PV544. In 1961, New York became the first state to require that manufacturers provide at least anchor points for front seat belts on all cars sold. Many states followed and by 1965 all states required that cars had at least a front seat lap belt. In 1995 all states required passengers in cars to wear seatbelts. Unfortunately, even with this law in place it is estimated that today 15 percent of Americans still do not wear seatbelts.

Impact of the Seatbelt There is an estimated 10 million car accidents of all varieties each year according the National Safety Council. On average the seatbelt saves the lives of 11,000 people a year. The modern three-point seatbelt is estimated at saving over one million lives since its inception. In 2012 the use of seatbelts is estimated at saving 12,174 lives. The Seatbelt reduces the risk of death in an automobile accident by 50 percent. The seatbelt has sparked the creation of many other safety devices in automobiles like airbags.

Lives Lost Any life lost is one too many. But many lives been lost due to inability to wear a seatbelt. One of the most famous deaths is Princess Diana. Many believe that if she had been wearing a seatbelt her life would have been saved. Just in the past month we lost Bob Simon a reporter for the show “60 Minutes”. He could have been saved if he was wearing a seatbelt. Please, take advantage of the wonderful discovery of the seatbelt, and buckle-up every time you get in a car.

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