She became the most valuable means of safety on our cars: c safety belt. Although it has been part of the landscape for a long time, it has only been reflected is mandatory in France only since 1979. By this date, of course, it already existed, but whether to attach it or not was decided by the passengers themselves. Maybe some of you have memories of family holidays (in Ami 6 or in Renault 12?) with a single seat belt Dad’s hand on the seat. At the time, the number of seats also did not mean the maximum number of people allowed on board. 3 front, 4 rear, that’s it! However, this invention since then a revolution in car safetyand all manufacturers had to comply.

Creation from Sweden

But where does it come from and who invented it? In general, it is Swedish manufacturer Volvo that we are to blame for most of it active security measures the most common Special Swedish manufacturer series (SAAB died out in 2011) has always stood out during its run almost 100 years of existence for his many innovations that made its models safer and more reliable. We owe him back in 1944 the invention of the laminated windshield and the central security camera. Will come later headrest (1968) and booster seat (1978). And the belt? Volvo democratized it from 1959 with its model PV 544. It was the first three-point seat belt. The brand went further in innovation, patenting ten years later winder, allowing it to automatically climb. Since then, it has distinguished itself among several others passive safety initiatives.

Innovation driven by Mercedes

mercedes, Volvo’s big rival (and for good reason) in safety equipment, further enhanced this invention. Focusing on 1980 – the first system for pre-tensioning seat belts in the event of a collision. It was on the W126 S-Class that was also showing that year the first driver’s airbag as standard. The one who democratized ABS (1972), ESP (1995) and so the airbag pushed innovation to the point of patenting a safety belt ! But the seat belt has not revealed all its secrets to us. As for Volvo or Mercedes, we don’t know who invented it original button located at the end of the belt. Do you know what this is for? This is not a decoration, but a device that allows the buckle to always remain at the end of the belt, so that the pliers do not wander on both sides of the tape. We should have thought about it, this one must have eluded us spent a lot of time searching and adjusting our belt…