How Has Auto Safety Improved Over the Years?

How Has Auto Safety Improved Over the Years?

It’s often easy to forget how far back the history of automotive design goes, and how far we’ve come over the years to improve auto safety. Early vehicles were, frankly, deathtraps by modern standards with no safety features to speak of besides a horn or some other noisemaker. In fact, the earliest reported automotive fatality happened in 1869 when an inventor got caught under the wheels of an experimental steam-powered car. That’s only four years after the end of the Civil War!

Today, we take so many safety features for granted, without thinking about their history. So, let’s take a moment to reflect on how today’s cars are truly the safest ever made.

Major Developments in Auto Safety Over the Years

Brake systems: the first auto safety system

The first challenge when developing the automobile was figuring out how to make it go. The second challenge was figuring out how to make it stop.

By and large, the concept of brakes hasn’t changed much over the years: applying resistive force to the spinning wheel, using friction to remove energy from its motion. The earliest brakes used plain wooden blocks, pressed against the wheel by a lever the driver had to pull manually – much like old mine cars.

Mechanical drum brakes first appeared in the early 20th century, and soon moved inside the car’s frame. In the 1920s, hydraulic systems were first used, greatly reducing the physical force needed to initiate braking, as well as enabling pedal-based controls.

Modern brakes follow the same principles, although with a much greater degree of computer assistance. Since the development of anti-skid systems in the 1980s-90s, it’s become far less common to “lock” the brakes and go into a skid when braking hard.

Crash testing and other frame improvements

The first crash testing was conducted by General Motors in the 1930s, which led to the development of the crumple zone: designing the front of a car to crumple inwards in an impact, absorbing as much kinetic energy as possible before it reached the passengers. Around the same time, laminated glass also came into use in automotive windows, greatly reducing the chances of serious laceration if the glass shattered.

Turn signals were first developed in the 1930s and haven’t changed all that much over the years.

Today, cars are extensively tested against crashes from every direction, at as many speeds as possible, allowing the development of frames that are vastly better at absorbing impacts. Along with other upgrades, this has made crashes much more survivable.

The rise of the seat belt

Probably the most famous auto safety feature, seat belts first came into use in the 1950s. However, these were lap-only belts, which could only prevent the passenger from being ejected from the vehicle. Over time, the dangers of whiplash were discovered, leading to the development of the modern-style three-point seatbelt in the 1960s. These were much better at absorbing kinetic force and preventing passengers from being whipped around.

However, it wouldn’t be until the 1970s that manufacturers considered seat belts as standard equipment, and not until the 80s that belting became legally mandated in most places around the country.

The coming of airbags

Airbags were some of the first safety features people dreamed up, with research beginning in the 1920s. However, it took until the 50s for the first airbags to hit the market – and the first generation wasn’t good. The deployment system was large and clunky, leading to almost as many injuries from the airbag as from the impact. Early airbags were also only tested on adult males and were less effective at protecting female passengers and, particularly, children.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that airbags started to become viable, with the development of electronic-controlled deployment systems in 1968. However, due to the complexity of the technology, and difficulty in ensuring passenger safety, airbags did not truly become ubiquitous until the1990s.

Today, airbags are entirely safe and well-understood, with modern vehicles often including a range of airbags along the sides of the vehicle, to protect against side impacts.

Computer assistance kickstarts auto safety

With the electronics boom of the 1980s-90s, auto safety entered a new era – one we’re still enjoying. Modern vehicles have a huge range of sensors and cameras, all monitoring the area around the car and providing feedback to the driver. These include:

• Rear-view cameras
• Blind spot monitoring/cameras
• Pedestrian detection
• Monitoring the speed of nearby cars
• Detecting lane drift

A modern vehicle is effectively its driver’s co-pilot, giving so much extra information and feedback to keep the drive safe!

Fred’s Auto Repair cares deeply about your safety, and we can maintain or repair any modern auto safety system. If you’re having issues with your safety systems, please visit us for help!