In 1959, Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin created a visionary design for his employer, Volvo, for a new type of seat belt that secured both the upper and lower body. It was a groundbreaking design, but instead of keeping the three-point lap and shoulder seatbelt as a propriety invention in order to sell more cars, Volvo shared the life-saving belt design with other car manufacturers. The simple reason -- to save lives.
From fighter jets to seat belts:
Before Bohlin's invention, lap belts were used -- but they caused injuries in high speed crashes.
Bohlin had designed ejector seats for Saab fighter airplanes in the 1950s. He was hired as the Volvo’s first chief safety engineer in 1958.
Volvo gave the design to other automakers for free. According to one of company's directors, “The decision to release the three-point seat belt patent was visionary and in line with Volvo’s guiding principle of safety.”
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