Seat Belt Day

In 1903, the French inventor Gustave-Desire Leveau patented a design for a seat belt. 🚗✨However, these early designs were simple and were used mainly in race cars to keep the driver in place. The first car to be equipped with seat belts as standard was the Volvo PV544 in 1959. Volvo was the pioneer in developing and standardizing the three point seat belt, which was designed by their engineer Nils Bohlin. The three point belt, which protects both the chest and the hips of the occupant, is still widely used in cars around the world and has saved countless lives since its introduction. In 1966, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act was passed in the United States, requiring manufacturers to install seat belts in all new cars. Similar laws followed in Europe.