The meaning of the words on car seat belts, many people do not know
Many people use cars and wear seat belts every day, but perhaps few notice that there is a "mysterious" line of text engraved on the belt.
Nowadays, it is mandatory for both the driver and the passengers to wear seat belts when driving a car. This equipment helps the people in the car avoid injuries and collisions if an accident occurs. This is also standard equipment on all cars today.
Many people use cars, fasten seat belts every day but perhaps do not notice that there is a "mysterious" line of words on the belt. Perhaps, most long-time car users still do not know its meaning. For example, on Volvo cars, the seat belt buckle will be engraved with the words "SINCE 1959". Even many people see this line but do not understand why it appears there and what is its purpose?
According to information shared by Auto Express, the words “SINCE 1959” engraved on Volvo car seat belts are meant to mark the historical milestone of the three-point seat belt being born and equipped for the first time on Volvo cars since 1959. In the global automobile industry, the three-point seat belt is one of the most important inventions that has contributed to saving millions of lives when participating in traffic. The father of this three-point seat belt is Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin.
With a very simple structure, consisting of only one belt and buckle but intelligently designed, the three-point seat belt goes across the hips and shoulders of the person sitting, keeping the person sitting firmly attached to the seat, while still creating comfort when moving.
When a sudden collision occurs at high speed (about 50-60km/h), the seat belt will automatically tighten to hold the person sitting in the seat, thereby minimizing injury. Without a seat belt, when the car suddenly brakes suddenly, collides strongly, or is tilted, the person sitting will be thrown forward, hitting their head on other parts of the car, or even thrown out, leading to injury and possibly death.
Before that, along with the history of the birth of cars, seat belts for vehicles were invented in 1800 by aeronautical engineer George Cayley and used for pilots on airplanes. Decades later, in 1949, new seat belts were introduced by Nash Motor - an American car manufacturer founded in 1916 as an optional equipment on cars. However, this was a 2-point belt and consumers at this time mostly eliminated the belt when buying a car. The main reason was due to the perspective and awareness of safety issues on cars.
Nils Bohlin's famous invention - the three-point seat belt with its simple yet extremely useful design has contributed to changing the thinking of car users and policymakers about car safety.
In 1967, Bohlin himself published a study that found that 37,511 people involved in 28,000 traffic accidents while traveling at speeds under 60 mph were saved by wearing three-point seat belts.
In 1968, the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards made the three-point seat belt one of the main mandatory safety features in cars. Similarly, the British government made front seat belts mandatory in all cars from 1968 and rear seat belts from 1987. By 1983, front seat belts were mandatory when driving.
According to The Sun, in the 1950s and before, only 25% of car users wore seat belts, but since the three-point belt appeared, the rate of people using seat belts in cars has reached 90% in 1975. However, 37 years after the invention, there are still 32% of people in the US who do not wear seat belts when using cars.
Nowadays, the three-point seat belt is an essential safety equipment in every car. Traffic safety laws of all countries require drivers to wear seat belts when driving. Engineer Nils Bohlin is the one who has made great contributions to popularizing seat belts to car users worldwide.
The inscription “SINCE 1959” on the seat belt buckle in Volvo cars is both a tribute to the great contribution of inventor Nils Bohlin to the world's automobile industry and a reminder of Volvo's commitment to technological innovation and the production of the safest cars.
In Vietnam, the current Road Traffic Law requires people in cars to wear seat belts in all seating positions equipped with them. Drivers who do not wear seat belts will be fined from 800,000 to 1 million VND, and people in the front seat or back seat will be fined from 300,000 to 500,000 VND.
