seat belts started being put in cars in mid - 1970s.
seat belts started being put in cars in mid - 1970s.
when did seat belts start being put in cars?
mid - 1970s
american car manufacturers nash (in 1949) and ford (in 1955) offered seat belts as options, while swedish saab first introduced seat belts as standard in 1958. after the saab gt 750 was introduced at the new york motor show in 1958 with safety belts fitted as standard, the practice became commonplace.









































glenn sheren, of mason, michigan, submitted a patent application on march 31, 1955 for an automotive seat belt and was awarded us patent 2,855,215 in 1958. this was a continuation of an earlier patent application that mr. sheren had filed on september 22, 1952.
seat belt
dating back as early as 1885, seat belts were first patented by edward j. claghorn. in 1955, ford began offering the lap belt in their automobiles. saab then began to manufacture their entire range of automobiles with seat belts; most importantly the saab gt750, launched in 1958. from this model, the practice of seat belt installation then became a competitive advantage to the industry but still did not seem essential to the consumers. forward, this popular technique became standard in most u.s. automobiles. by 1965, front lap seat belts were produced in several models, by 1968 front shoulder and rear lap belts were introduced, and in 1974 three point front lap belts were adopted in most automobiles. the first united states federal law pertaining to the use of seat belts became effective january 1, 1968 with the help of the u.s. department of transportation which was created two years prior. the law has since been modified but currently requires all vehicles to be produced with three-point seat belts in all seating areas. the use and legality of seat belts varies from state to state, with the first state to pass the law requiring all passengers to wear a seat belt being new york on december 1, 1984. currently, there are no countries whose automobiles do not offer seat belts and it is a standardized practice worldwide.
williamson v. mazda motor of america, inc.