Who is the man responsible for automakers implementing safety belts and air bags for automobiles?

UCANTCME

Airbags..........

Allen Breed was holding the patent (U.S. #5,071,161) to the only crash sensing technology available at the birth of the airbag industry. Breed invented a "sensor and safety system" in 1968, the world's first electromechanical automotive airbag system.

However, rudimental patents for airbags go back to the 1950s. Patent applications were submitted by German Walter Linderer and American John Hedrik as early as 1951.

Walter Linderer's airbag was based on a compressed air system, either released by bumper contact or by the driver. Later research during the sixties proved that compressed air could not blow the bags up fast enough. Linderer received German patent #896312.

John Hedrik received U.S. Patent #2,649,311 in 1953 for what he called a "safety cushion assembly for automotive vehicles."

In 1971, the Ford car company built an experimental airbag fleet. General Motors tested airbags on the 1973 model Chevrolet automobile that were only sold for government use. The 1973, Oldsmobile Toronado was the first car with a passenger air bag intended for sale to the public. General Motors later offered an option to the general public of driver side airbags in full-sized Oldsmobile's and Buick's in 1975 and 1976 respectively. Cadillacs were available with driver and passenger airbags options during those same years. Early airbags system had design issues resulting in fatalities caused solely by the airbags.
Airbags were offered once again as an option on the 1984 Ford Tempo automobile. By 1988, Chrysler became the first company to offer air bag restraint systems as standard equipment. In 1994, TRW began production of the first gas-inflated airbag. They are now mandatory in all cars since 1998.

Seatbelts

Volvo had the first safety belts in 1849. The first U.S. patent for automobile seat beats was issued to Edward J. Claghorn of New York, New York on February 10, 1885. Claghorn was granted United States Patent #312,085 for a Safety-Belt for tourists, described in the patent as "designed to be applied to the person, and provided with hooks and other attachments for securing the person to a fixed object."

Swedish inventor, Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt - not the first but the modern seatbelt - now a standard safety device in most cars. Nils Bohlin's lap-and-shoulder belt was introduced by Volvo in 1959.

Louis G

Are you talking about Ralph Nader? He is often credited with getting the government to place regulations requiring that sort of safety technology on cars. He didn't invent any of it though. He also wrote a book called "Unsafe at Any Speed" which spurred alot of the legislation.

Fish

For seat belts the answer is here:

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_seat_belts.htm

For air bags go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbag (History section)

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: