Today is really great day to be a woman. Not only is it a Friday (Happy Friday!), today is the best day of the year for women: International Women’s Day.

To celebrate the big day, SEAT Ireland have revealed some pretty amazing facts about car invention, and that its’ female inventors you have to thank for some of the most innovative car safety features! 

So what do rear view mirrors, lane markings and turn signals have in common? They were all invented by women!

These three trailblazers shaped the automotive sector with their innovations and led the way for the following generations. 

In 1917, June McCarroll of California invented the drawing the line after a lorry forced her off the road on her way to work. That was when she sensed that a dividing line in the middle of the pavement would have prevented the accident.

‘We currently have systems than help drivers stay inside their lane, like lane assist, and warn them in the event of involuntary lane departures. It operates with a camera located behind the rear view mirror that detects lane markings and the vehicle’s position. If the car deviates from its path, the assistant sends a warning. This systems is set to activate once 65 km/h is reached,’ says Lluïsa Tomás, an engineer in the SEAT Chassis department.

Hollywood actress Florence Lawrence, who died in 1938, was a car enthusiast who designed a moving paddle to indicate whether the car was going to turn, as well as a STOP sign that was visible at the rear when the driver stepped on the brake.

Both of her inventions were the predecessors of the modern day turn signals and brake light! Although she never patented these systems, her contribution was decisive for the future of the industry.

‘These signalling systems are an essential driving safety feature, as they prevent numerous accidents, especially rear end collisions. Today we have LED lighting and signalling systems with a much lower activation time, and in the case of the turn signals, they enable the introduction of dynamism to the area, making their function more visible. In addition to being a fundamental part of a car’s design, the benefit of LED fixtures is that they last longer and consume less,’ explains Maite Paris, who is responsible for Front Illumination Development at SEAT.

Finally Mary Anderson was on a trip to New York in 1902 when she noticed her taxi driver had to stop repeatedly to remove the sleet and mud from the windows. That’s when she came up with the idea for windscreen wipers.

‘The safety systems of a car in the event of adverse weather conditions have prevented a multitude of accidents, but now we can push the envelope even further. Thanks to applications and new mobility services, connected vehicles enable us to plan routes, adapt them in real time according to factors such as the weather and recommend the best transportation option to reach our destination’ explains Leyre Olavarría, who is responsible for Infotainment and Connected Car at SEAT.