If you were born in the fifties, you probably didn’t have seat belts as a kid. Your children rode in the back of your station wagon loose, along with their toys, books and snacks, or if you were going a short distance, they climbed into the back of the pickup with the family dog. As the years have passed, many changes have occurred in cars and the safety laws for all passengers riding in the car.
In 1958, seat belts were added to cars as an option, but it was not until 1966 that Congress passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act requiring that all automobiles comply with certain safety standards, one of which were seat belts. By 1968, it was required that all vehicles (except for buses) be fitted with seat belts.
Airbags were invented in 1952, but weren’t broadly introduced into passenger cars until the late 1980s, with an airbag for the driver and front seat passenger. Modern vehicles often include multiple airbags – side curtain, seat-mounted side impact, knee bolster, inflatable seat belts, front right and left sensors and pedestrian airbag modules.
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