I get really annoyed by those who sprout the rubbish that their 1970 model car is safer than the latest models. The road toll figures from that era totally disprove that assumption (1970, 3798 deaths, 2019, 1119 deaths). Cars are far safer today and there are many more on our roads.
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Spare a thought for our early drivers who didn't have windscreen wipers or seatbelts.
Exposed to the elements and exposed to the dangers of driving, it took many years for modern safety features like seatbelts, airbags, autonomous braking, and rear-view cameras to be implemented in vehicles.
Once crash testing was widely adopted, it was possible to see just how poorly some models fared in the event of a crash.
Safety features are continuing to evolve as driverless vehicles enter the mix, with the hope that autonomous technology will reduce the number of fatal crashes on our roads caused by human error.
I'll take a look at how far safety features have come since the early 1900s.
1903 - Alabama resident Mary Anderson files a patent for the windscreen wiper.
1927 - Ford introduces laminated windscreens on the Model T to ensure the glass stays in one piece if damaged.
1934 - The first vehicle crash test was completed by General Motors with a 1929 Chevrolet.
1939 - Buick introduces turn signals as a standard feature in their vehicles.
1949 - American carmaker Nash offers lap seatbelts
1951 - The first airbag patent was registered.
1959 - The first three-point lap-sash seatbelt appears in a Volvo, which was then given an open patent so other carmakers could use the life-saving design. The first optional headrests for the front seat arrive.
1968 - The US raises safety standards to require steering columns to collapse in a crash to reduce chest injuries.
1978 - Mercedes-Benz installs multi-channel, four-wheel electronic ABS into a production car - the S-Class models.
1991 - Rear-view cameras first appear in a production car - the Toyota Soarer Limited in Japan.
1993 - The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) begins independent crash tests of vehicles to rate the safety of cars.
1995 - Electronic stability control (ESC) makes its first appearance in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine after its inventor engineer Frank Werner-Mohn skidded into a ditch a few years earlier
2004 - Volvo introduces the first blind spot information system, using reversing cameras and motion sensors to help drivers detect vehicles, pedestrians and bikes in their blind spot.
2011 - Volvo introduces a pedestrian detection system to detect when they are in front of the car. The car can apply the brakes automatically if the driver doesn't brake in time.
ESC becomes mandatory in Australia for all new cars. Adaptive cruise control is introduced to automatically adjust the speed, leaving a safe distance between vehicles when it's on cruise control mode.
The proof of ever improving car safety.
Basically when you buy a car make sure it has a 5 star ANCAP rating. That will ensure you have the safest possible car of the era it was built in.
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