How have safety features in cars improved?

UCANTCME

Seat belts..........

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seat_belt

Airbags............

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbags

desert camel

no long answer here ...but the best thing that has been designed into car over the years is the crumple zone.it soaks up the energy of the crash thus saving the driver/passengers from the Force of the impact.
EDIT...
links bellow are from google,lots of good info here....im suprised you have getten lots more answers on a subject like this.
i suppose another great step in the safety lader[if not the best] has been electronics...
now im not talking inerta fuel pump cut offs but the ECU computer control units...sensing a impact they can deploy airbags,tighten seatbelts[exsplosive device],open doors,full electronic battery isolation...
and now with ANPR [automatic number plate recognition] there now building cas that read road signes and can even slow the car down to the correct speed...all this and more wouldnt have here if it wasnt for the computer chip/electronics...
i mean thodays phone has more computing power than the first space shuttle...
whats to come next?...

Bobby Jim

Broad use of safety glass, now mandatory.
Seat Belts mandated in 1964
Later, shoulder belts were mandated.
Side Marker Lights mandated in 1968 for visibility.
Elimination of metal dashboards.
Energy absorbing bumpers mandated in 1973.
Anti-lock breaks.
Air-Bags mandated.
Re-inforced roof structures.
Computerized skid control.
Use of engineered "crush zones" front and rear for impact protection.
Improved lighting systems.

roger.williams20@btinternet.com

Braking has improved significantly, Body shells are now much stronger even though the cars are lighter. ABS and other technological innovations have helped to make cars much safer in braking situations and in cornering. Air bags and much stronger passenger compartments have helped to reduce the damage to occupants in the event of an accident. Suspensions are now more effective in keeping cars stable braking and cornering.

thud.fan

One, don't confuse 'safety' with 'protection' features. The only time any motor vehicle is 'safe' is when it is unoccupied and the engine is turned off - and that's about 95 pct of the time.

Two, the only safety component in any vehicle is the driver - the computer, the decision-maker, the controller who decides the speed, direction and maneuvers the vehicle is to make. If the vehicle loses traction or has too much speed, then it can become uncontrollable and all occupants are excess ballast and thus just along for the ride.

A 3000 lb vehicle traveling at 55 mph has 303,371 ft/lbs of kinetic energy. A 150 lb human inside this same vehicle has 15,169 ft/lbs of kinetic energy. At this speed, the vehicle is moving at 80.6 ft/second. If the driver has a reaction time of 0.25 seconds, the vehicle will have traveled 20.15 ft just in that quarter of a second. Not much time to switch pedals or decide what gear to use.

All the best.

Haddi T

airbags and seatbelts are now standard in most cars , plus specially designed chassis and putting wheels as close to the front and rear absorb impact

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