Over one million people can thank Nils Bohlin, a Volvo engineer, for saving their lives. Countless others have suffered less severe injuries too, all thanks to Bohlin's three-point safety belt - an invention that Volvo introduced back in 1959 in its 120 (Amazon).
Realising the potential of its life saving device, Volvo unselfishly left the patent for the three-point belt open. That was 50 years ago; manufacturers are legally obliged to fit front and rear seatbelts to cars today. It's been a relatively slow process educating people to its benefits, but the numbers don't lie, Bohlin's invention considered so significant that it's still regarded as the most important piece of safety equipment in the car.
It has won just about every safety award imaginable, German patent registrars highlighting it as one of eight patents to have the greatest human significance in a 100-year period. We're sure that everyone who's been saved by one would agree. Happy birthday seatbelts, here's to the next 50 years of saving lives.
Kyle Fortune - 13 Aug 2009