seat belts were first introduced in australia in 1964.
when were seat belts first introduced in australia?
1964
in australia, after the introduction of mandatory front outboard mounting points in 1964, the use of seat belts by all vehicle passengers was made compulsory in the states of victoria and south australia in 1970 and 1971, respectively. by 1973, the use of fitted seat belts by vehicle occupants was made compulsory for the rest of australia and some other countries during the 1970s and 1980s. the subsequent dramatic decline in road deaths is generally because of seat belt laws and subsequent road safety campaigns. seat belts are not required for bus occupants, reversing drivers, and those driving some slow-moving vehicles. the laws for these differ depending on the state or territory with jurisdiction.
seat belt legislation
dating back as early as 1885, seat belts were first patented by edward j. claghorn. in 1955, ford began offering the lap belt in their automobiles. saab then began to manufacture their entire range of automobiles with seat belts; most importantly the saab gt750, launched in 1958. from this model, the practice of seat belt installation then became a competitive advantage to the industry but still did not seem essential to the consumers. forward, this popular technique became standard in most u.s. automobiles. by 1965, front lap seat belts were produced in several models, by 1968 front shoulder and rear lap belts were introduced, and in 1974 three point front lap belts were adopted in most automobiles. the first united states federal law pertaining to the use of seat belts became effective january 1, 1968 with the help of the u.s. department of transportation which was created two years prior. the law has since been modified but currently requires all vehicles to be produced with three-point seat belts in all seating areas. the use and legality of seat belts varies from state to state, with the first state to pass the law requiring all passengers to wear a seat belt being new york on december 1, 1984. currently, there are no countries whose automobiles do not offer seat belts and it is a standardized practice worldwide.
williamson v. mazda motor of america, inc.