Nils Bohlin and the Three-Point Seatbelt That Has Saved Millions Of Lives

What do you put on each time you enter a vehicle that, since 1959, is thought to have saved over a million lives? That's the three-point seatbelt, and Volvo is the reason it's in your vehicle.
The V-type three-point safety belt was created in 1959 by the little-known Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin, who saw his creation through to widespread use in the automotive sector. Seat belt use became much safer and easier with his new cross-strap design.
Passenger safety was generally very poor in the late 1950s. When a new car was delivered, seatbelts were typically only offered as lap belts. Although they are still preferable to wearing no belt at all, lap belts only cover a smaller portion of your body than multipoint belts and do not orient your torso, causing you and your head to freely move around the cabin in the event of an impact.

Bohlin deserves a great deal of credit for making seat belts much more user-friendly and comfortable back then. He decided on a straightforward V shape so that users could reach over, seize the buckle, and drag it over their body to the seat's base latch.

August 13, 1959, saw Volvo sell its first vehicle equipped with the modern three-point seat belt system to a customer in Sweden. Only in the Nordic region, the PV544 (above) and Amazon 120 were the first Volvos to be sold with belts. As a result, Volvo was the first automaker in history to install safety belts on all of its vehicles.
Volvo even made Bohlin's patent instantly accessible to everyone. After funding the R&D, they gave their designs to rivals in an effort to promote widespread use and save lives.
Despite advancements in the automotive industry, the three-point belt's basic design has remained unchanged since Bohlin invented it. Every new car, truck, or SUV now comes with a safety device as standard. The commission's findings not only improved seat belts and increased use, but they also influenced vehicle structures across the industry.

Today, Volvo Cars takes a step further by aiming for zero collisions. Volvo Cars is developing a two-camera system safety feature - the Driver Understanding System - which can detect if the driver is distracted, sleepy, or even intoxicated and will activate a protective shield and take appropriate countermeasures, both visually and audibly.