Volvo’s Most Ubiquitous Contribution to the Auto Industry

In 1959, Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point seat belt which was launched in their Volvo Amazon and Volvo PV544 models. 

Bohlin previously worked at Saab as an ejector seat designer for fighter planes before being hired by Volvo as the first chief safety engineer.  Up until that point, two-point seatbelts were the only form of restraint used, and were known to cause severe internal injuries. 

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While Volvo could have kept the design and profited from it, they opened up the patent to their competitors as they believed it was too important in their quest to prevent automobile fatalities. Since 1975, an estimated 255,000 lives have been saved by seat belts in the US alone.

from thomasnet.com