| Hurrah For Seatbelts | ||
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(Wed 12 Apr 06) 27% of the 1100 people questioned in the Avon Tyres survey voted seatbelts as their number one choice. Next on the list were ABS (21%), airbags (16%), cat's eyes (10%) and crumple zones (7%). Seatbelts made another appearance further down the list, as 6% voted for three-point belts for central rear seats. 2% of respondents said their favourite safety innovation was the introduction of the speed camera. "The average car may be significantly faster since seatbelts became compulsory, but manufacturers are forever pushing the boundaries to deliver safer cars," says Avon's Product Planning Manager Malcolm Jones. "In 10 years' time, we'll all be talking about pop-up bonnets, artificial intelligent braking systems and cars that can see around corners." Feature: Twenty Years Of Belting Up |
According to a survey conducted by Avon Tyres, British motorists rate seatbelts as the most important innovation in car safety over the last 50 years. They were invented in 1959 by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin (right), and became compulsory for front seat passengers in the UK in 1983, amid howls of protest about personal freedom, the nanny state and the infringement of civil liberties.
