How has car safety changed over time?

In the 135-year history of automobiles, safety and security measures have evolved greatly to make automobiles one of the safest means of transportation.

The history of automobiles began when German inventor Karl Benz patented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886. Then in the 20th century, many other companies took the leap into the automobile industry, and automobiles became widely available. Starting with only the wealthy and the official, cars soon became available to the masses, one example being the 1908 Ford.

In contrast , the successive inventions in the world of cars brought about the development of transportation and it became more rapid , the number of human deaths in road accidents increased rapidly.

In the nearly 50 years since the first automobile was invented, no automaker has thought about adding safety features to their vehicles. However, due to the daily increase in fatal injuries and instant deaths, motor vehicle accidents have become a major public health concern. The first breakthrough in automobile safety came in 1934 when General Motors first conducted a crash test on a 1929 Chevrolet. After that, car companies around the world began experimenting with new ideas to provide a safe environment for both drivers and passengers on the road.

A series of inventions in car safety over the years have saved countless lives. And the means of safety and safety have increased, and here are some of the achievements in the safety features that revolutionized the concept of safety in the car. On the other hand, car lovers are always looking for safety and security means before buying a car.

Seat belts arrive in 1958

Although seat belts were invented and patented well before 1958, the most effective version we see now didn’t emerge until 1958. When British engineer George Cayley invented the first seat belt in the late 1800’s to strap pilots inside their gliders. However, the first car seat belt was developed by Edward J. Clagorn of America, who did so to keep taxi passengers safe.

However, it wasn’t until 1954 that seat belts were considered “critical.” Many scientists emphasized the importance of seat belts through their job tests , and in 1954, their words were first heard when the Sports Car Club of America required companies to add seat belts in Every racing car. And Volvo began the actual revolution in seat belt technology and its comprehensive inclusion in cars, especially that 55 percent of those who died in car accidents were not wearing a “safety” seat belt.

In 1958, Swedish engineer Nils Bohlen invented a modern and more effective three-point seat belt that is still in use today. Volvo realized the importance of the seat belt and easily hired Bohlin for further development and fitted its cars with three-point seat belts. Volvo also released a report in 2002 showing that seat belts have saved more than a million lives since their introduction.

Since 1958, seat belts have been developing rapidly, and today, the most advanced seat belt is the “inflatable seat belt” introduced by Ford in 2001. In this system, the shoulder belt contains an inflatable airbag that inflates in the event of an accident. collision. And there are different seat belts today, from the cross seat belts used in sports cars to the self-tensioning belts developed by Volvo.

Airbags arrived in 1951

After seat belts, the most important safety feature invented were airbags . One of the most important safety measures in the car, it protects the driver and passengers from frontal collisions or side collisions. The first rudimentary airbag designs were patented by German Walter Linder and American John Hetrick in 1951. The airbag system devised by Walter Linder was based on compressed air, which was released either after hitting the bumper or manually by the driver. John Hetrick’s airbag was also based on the same system he called the “Vehicle Safety Cushion Kit”.

But the air bag’s compressed air system proved ineffective in quickly inflating the bags, and the world had to wait another 17 years for Allen Breed to come up with the world’s first collision-sensing technology, patented in 1968. Four years earlier. Breed was invented, and Japanese automobile engineer Yasuzaburo Kobori invented a “safety net” that uses an explosive device to inflate airbags. This system became very popular, and 14 countries accepted it.

Subsequently, nearly all American and German car companies developed their own version of seat belts, and as of 1998, airbags became mandatory on all American vehicles. Currently, most cars are equipped with two types of airbags – front-wheel-mounted front-collision airbags and side-impact airbags, or SABs, to protect the driver’s head and chest from side-impact.

Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) – 1978

The ABS system seems more important in motorcycles than in cars

Aside from collisions, wet and icy roads were another major problem for motorists. The conventional lock brakes were not very effective in stopping the vehicle in these conditions, and the driver usually lost control of the vehicle. It may deviate in dangerous directions or turn around itself, and it may overturn due to sudden braking, and the ABS system came as a solution to this problem, so it was necessary to invent safety means to reduce the danger of sudden and severe brakes.

Mercedes-Benz was undoubtedly a pioneer in this field. The ABS system allows the wheels of the car to spin slower under severe braking , thus enabling the driver to maneuver the car through the steering, and a sensor is installed on each wheel to determine the wheel speed, and thus the system performs successive and multiple strokes according to the speed of each wheel separately. Watch how ABS helps to preserve the car

Daimler developed this anti-lock system in 1953. The development led to the creation of the Mercedes-Benz / Teldix Anti-Block System in 1966, which was developed by the German company in cooperation with Teldix on the basis of the electrohydraulic braking system. On the other side of the world, Chrysler also worked with Bendix to create the “Sure Brake” system that was unveiled in 1971, and to supplement the vehicle’s increased safety features other companies sought to create or develop a similar system.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Company introduced a single-channel analogue of the ABS, followed by GM’s Trackmaster. Toyota and Nissan made similar attempts in Japan, and the latest and most advanced version ever, the four-wheel multi-channel electronic ABS system powered by electronics and microprocessors, was launched by Mercedes-Benz in 1978.

The system was featured on the company’s S-Class model. The system prevented wheels from locking up under heavy braking, ensuring controlled erratic rotation which saved drivers from fatal understeer, understeer is turning one wheel without another, which would have caused fatal accidents. Vehicle safety equipment.

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) – 1980

Oversteering has proven to be just as deadly as understeer. Excessiveness took it out of the concept of safety measures, and drivers were prone to over-driving in stressful conditions, leading to a complete loss of vehicle control and fatal accidents. BMW was the first to identify drivers’ excessive driving tendency and developed an engine control system that lowered torque when a stability problem was detected, and was the first version of the ESC system.

By lowering torque, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system limits the slip angle and prevents the car from spinning. After BMW, Mercedes launched its own ESC system from the advanced ABS system and developed Electronic Traction Control (ETC) and Acceleration Slip Control (ASC). Finally, a more advanced version of the ESC was developed by Toyota under the name Vehicle Stability Control System (VSC).

The development of safety and security means was an inevitable result after driving on the roads became more dangerous due to the increase in the number of vehicles and high speeds. However, as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, vehicle safety technology has rapidly advanced, and technology has also transformed and adopted smart ways to protect passengers. As a result, nearly every leading auto company regularly upgrades its safety measures to continuously reduce fatalities.

For example, Volvo, famous for being the safest car manufacturer in the world, has created two advanced features that will be present in its future cars. The first feature is the ‘Speed ​​Cover’ which all future Volvo cars will have a limited top speed of 112 mph, and the second feature is the ‘Care Switch’ which allows the car owner to add a speed cover when a new car or less experienced driver is at the wheel.

Likewise, Mazda is working on radar-based technology to make driving its cars safer. The Mazda Radar Cruise Control system controls the relative speed and distance of the vehicle ahead to automatically control the vehicle’s speed. Furthermore, Mazda has also launched a radar-based Rear Vehicle Monitoring system that measures the distance of approaching vehicles from rear vehicles and warns the driver.