Maybe it's just me, but the only passenger restraint I can remember growing up was my grandmother's right arm which she reflexively extended across the front seat to keep me from bouncing my young noggin off the dashboard during sudden stops. It's a wonder I survived.
Telling this story to my 10-year-old son the other day got me thinking about how much we all take modern safety features for granted. Like the three-point seatbelt, for instance.
Though it seems hard to believe, it was 50 years ago that Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin came up with the idea. Of course Bohlin's invention has been improved over the years, but the basic design has remained remarkably unchanged for one simple reason: It works.
In fact, the three-point seatbelt has gone on to become one of the world's most widespread automotive safety features, in part because Volvo decided early on to make its patented design available to all carmakers. Some important milestones in seatbelt history:
1959: Three-point seatbelts for front-seat occupants made standard on all Volvo models
1967: Safety belts made standard for rear-seat occupants
1969: Retractable "inertia-reel" three-point seatbelts for front-seat occupants introduced
1971: Seatbelt "reminder" chimes debut
1972: First three-point seatbelts for rear-seat passengers
Of course, the folks at Volvo didn't stop there as evidenced by the long list of cutting-edge safety features offered on current models, including the new XC60 crossover. The fact that these vehicles happen to be just as stylish as they are safe, well, that's the icing on the cake.
To see for yourself, check out these DriverTV "virtual showroom experiences":
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