Many people drive cars but do not know the meaning of the words engraved on the seat belt.

Nowadays, it is mandatory for both the driver and the passengers to wear seat belts when driving a car. This equipment helps the passengers avoid injuries and collisions if an accident occurs. This is also standard equipment on all cars today.

Many people use cars and wear seat belts every day, but perhaps few notice that there is a "mysterious" line of text on the belt. Perhaps, most people who have used cars for a long time still do not know its meaning. For example, on Volvo cars, the seat belt buckle will be engraved with the words "SINCE 1959". Even many people who see this line do not understand why it appears there and what its purpose is?

According to information shared by Auto Express, the words “SINCE 1959” engraved on the Volvo car seat belts are meant to mark the historical milestone of the three-point seat belt being born and equipped for the first time on Volvo cars since 1959. In the global automobile industry, the three-point seat belt is one of the most important inventions that has contributed to saving millions of lives when participating in traffic. The father of this three-point seat belt is Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin.

With a very simple structure, consisting of only one belt and buckle but intelligently designed, the three-point seat belt goes across the hips and shoulders of the person sitting, keeping the person sitting firmly attached to the seat, while still creating comfort when moving.

When a sudden collision occurs at high speed (about 50-60km/h), the seat belt will automatically tighten to hold the person sitting in the seat, thereby minimizing injury. Without a seat belt, when the car suddenly brakes suddenly, collides strongly, or overturns, the person sitting will be thrown forward, hitting their head on other parts of the car, or even thrown out, leading to injury and possibly death.

Previously, along with the history of the birth of cars, seat belts for vehicles were invented in 1800 by aeronautical engineer George Cayley and used for pilots on airplanes. Decades later, in 1949, new seat belts were introduced by Nash Motor - an American car manufacturer founded in 1916 as an optional equipment on cars. However, this was a 2-point belt and consumers at this time mostly eliminated the belt when buying a car. The main reason was due to the perspective and awareness of safety issues on cars.

Nils Bohlin's famous invention - the three-point seat belt with its simple yet extremely useful design has contributed to changing the thinking of car users and policy makers about car safety.

In 1967, Bohlin himself published a study that found that 37,511 people involved in 28,000 traffic accidents at speeds below 60 mph were saved by wearing three-point seat belts.

In 1968, the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards made the three-point seat belt a mandatory safety feature in cars. Similarly, the British government required all cars to be equipped with front seat belts in 1968 and rear seat belts in 1987. By 1983, front seat belts became mandatory when driving.

According to The Sun, in the 1950s and before, only 25% of car users wore seat belts, but since the three-point belt appeared, the rate of people using seat belts when driving cars has reached 90% in 1975. However, 37 years after this invention was born, up to 32% of people in the US still refuse to wear seat belts when using cars.

Nowadays, the three-point seat belt is an essential safety equipment in every car. Traffic safety laws of all countries require drivers to wear seat belts when driving. Engineer Nils Bohlin is the one who made great contributions to popularizing seat belts to car users worldwide.

The words “SINCE 1959” on the seat belt buckle in Volvo cars are both a tribute to inventor Nils Bohlin's great contribution to the world's automobile industry and a reminder of Volvo's commitment to technological innovation and the production of the safest cars.

In Vietnam, the current Road Traffic Law requires people in cars to wear seat belts in all seats equipped with them. Drivers who do not wear seat belts will be fined from 800,000 to 1 million VND, while people in the front seat or back seat will be fined from 300,000 to 500,000 VND.