The Three-point Seat Belt, Invented By Volvo, Celebrates 50 Years Of Saving Lives

Press Release under embargo until 12 August 09



The three-point seat belt, invented by Volvo,
celebrates 50 years of saving lives

Volvo shared patent with all car manufacturers
Estimated to have saved over one million lives globally
Victoria the first state worldwide to legislate seat belt fitting
and use


Thursday 13 August marks the 50th anniversary of the life-saving V-shaped, three-point
seat belt, invented by Volvo Engineer Nils Bohlin in 1959, and Volvos visionary open patent
which granted free use of the design to all other car manufacturers.

The design is as obvious as it is intelligent. Easily fastened with one hand, it secures the
seats occupant in place with a belt across the chest and another across the hips, a vast
improvement on the previous two-point waist restraint..

Today, the simple ,,click-clack front-and-back has been recognised worldwide as the most
widely used and significant safety innovation in the automobile's more than 120 year long
history. It is estimated that more than a million people owe their lives[1] to the seat belt, and it
has saved many times that number of people from serious injury. It is also recognized as
one of the eight patents to have the greatest significance for humanity during the hundred
years from 1885 to 1985[2].

"The decision to release the three point seat belt patent was visionary and in line with Volvo's
guiding principle of safety. Not only has it saved lives but it has also put a little bit of Volvo in
every car" says Alan Desselss, Managing Director, Volvo Car Australia.

Research indicates that vehicle occupants have a 50 per cent better chance of surviving a
crash, if they are wearing a seat belt, reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries from
collisions. Most countries have now legalised the use of seatbelts for all drivers, although
seat belt use in some areas is as low as 3.8 per cent[3].

The real breakthrough in legislation actually came from Victoria, which was the first state
worldwide to draw up legislation in 1970 requiring not just the fitting of seatbelts, but also
their actual use. In the first year of law, traffic fatalities in the state dropped by 18 per cent.
New South Wales followed with similar legislation a year later and today, everyone, but taxi
drivers, are legally required across Australia to wear seatbelts front and back.




-2-

"The seat belt was the first really effective step in tackling car safety," says Robert
McDonald, Head of NRMA Insurance Research Centre. "The compulsory adoption by
Australia in the 1970's and subsequent high usage rate has saved thousands of lives on our
roads."

The future of the seatbelt is constantly evolving. Volvo is exploring ways to improve their
design and make the process of wearing a seat belt easier and even safer. A four point
attachment is under discussion as is a motorised belt that tightens the belt and places the
driver in the right position in potentially hazardous situations.

For more information, interviews or photography please contact:
Joy Leaper Laurissa Mirabelli Public Affairs Manager
Tsuki Volvo Car Australia
T: 02 8354 1830 I M: 0403 282 776 T: 02 9020 1613 I M: 0412 259 635
E: [email protected] E: [email protected]

Note to Editors
[1] Estimate by Volvo based on general and in-house statistics on accidents and belt usage.

[2] According to German patent registrars. This honour is shared with patent-holders such as
Benz, Edison and Diesel

[3] In the US today, only 83 percent of front-seat passengers use their seat belt even thought
seat belt legislation is enforced in all states except for New Hampshire. On the island of
Sakhalin in Russia, safety belt use is as low as 3.8 per cent, and only 23 per cent of Costa
Rican and South Korean drivers used seatbelts up until legislation enforcements in the mid
2000s.

Volvo Safety
In 1927 Volvos founders Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson stated that: "Cars are driven
by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo therefore, is and
must remain safety."

Volvos philosophy today is still very much focussed on safety but is also driven by other
principles such as the environment, innovation, quality, design and in creating cars that are
as exciting to look at as they are to experience.

Every Volvo puts into practice over 80 years of 'know how' in developing safe and
environmentally sound vehicles. Volvos models have, over the years, been equipped with
an ever growing list of safety solutions from crumple zones, safety cages, airbags and
whiplash protection to systems for dynamic stability and driving control. The basic safety
tenets for Volvo remain essentially unchanged, with preventive safety, post-crash safety,
child safety and personal security the cornerstones of its operating principles.

In particular, Volvo has led the way in safety innovation, preventing accidents and injuries
and continually pushing the boundaries. This is evident in its Mobility 2020 Vision, that no
occupant of any of its cars should be seriously or fatally injured by the year 2020.




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