PAST IMPERFECT:After a slow start, the development of car safety has gathered pace and continues to gain traction, writes
BOB MONTGOMERY
SINCE CARS were first driven there have been accidents, and while advances in technology have come quickly since the dawn of motoring, for many years the development of car safety innovations lagged behind.
Nevertheless, by 1934 when GM decided to test the accident resistance characteristics of its products by crashing them at low speeds into fixed objects, safety had become an issue. This was the first significant safety innovation by a major manufacturer and set the ball rolling for safety developments in the years that followed. Incidentally, in the early days of GM crash-testing, the test driver was required to jump out just before the vehicle crashed.
The next major safety innovation came in 1939 when Auto Union began testing its products to see how safe they were when rolled. Then in 1948 a ground-breaking innovation was introduced by the short-lived Tucker Motor Company: its advanced Tucker Torpedo introduced crumple-zones plus a spring-loaded windscreen which popped out in a crash rather than shattering.
Saab and Volvo made safety their watchword and in 1949 Saab introduced the world's first passenger safety cell on the Saab 92 model. The safety cell owed its introduction to the Saab's experience designing military aircraft. Volvo was the first manufacturer to introduce front seatbelts in 1957 and rear seatbelts in 1967. In 1999, Volvo was also the first to fit three-point seatbelts across the rear seats of every model. Volvo was also responsible for the introduction of rear head restraints in 1968. There were so successful in reducing the chances of neck injury in an impact that within a few years American legislators required them to be fitted to all new cars. Another Volvo innovation was the introduction in 1972 of child locks.
1966 saw the development of anti-lock braking systems by Dunlop - one of the greatest safety advances of all time. The system, known as the Maxaret, was fitted to the Jensen FF (the world's first four-wheel drive road car). Five years later, in 1971, Buick introduced the first traction control system (MaxTrac). The computer-regulated system monitored wheel-spin and modulated engine power for better and safer road holding.
One of the most controversial safety innovations was the 1973 introduction of airbags. Developed as a result of a US government requirement in 1966, they were first fitted to the Oldsmobile Tornado in 1973 and were originally intended to increase the safety of un-belted passengers.
Audi pioneered the seatbelt pre-tensioner (called Procon 10) in 1986 and as well as being triggered by the high G forces involved in a crash to tighten the seatbelts and keep the occupants upright, the system also pulled the steering wheel away from the driver.
The quest for safety is an accepted part of car technology and continues with such features as Adaptive Cruise Control (1998) and Lane Departure Warning Systems (2003). Car safety continues to adapt to passengers' needs.