Seat Belts

• A patent for the first automobile seat belt was issued to Edward Claghorn in 1885, but it was a long time until they were implemented in even a healthy fraction of U.S. vehicles. In the late 1930s, physicians began urging manufacturers to install them in cars. But it wasn't until the late 1950s that major American car manufacturers began including them as a widespread option in their models.
  
  

Windshields

• The earliest automobiles came with no windshield at all, meaning the passengers were subject to not only the wind, but any inclement weather conditions. By the late 1920s, windshields were standard in almost all vehicles. In 1927 windshields were developed with specially tempered safety glass, laminated to stay in one piece if they were destroyed by an impact. This safety feature minimized the chances for a passenger to be thrown from the vehicle on impact, as well as reducing injuries from broken glass.
  
  

Highway Safety Act

• In the Highway Safety Act of 1966, the government make a sweeping attempt to improve vehicle safety across the country. The Act made it law for each state to adhere to regulations that applied not only to highway laws, but also to the uniform safety of vehicles coming off the conveyor belt. This included making seat belts mandatory for all vehicles. It also included standardizing highway control and accident investigation.
  
  

Airbags

• Airbags were introduced by car manufacturers in the 1970s, designed to act as a backup supplement to the seat belt. This was also during a time when seat belt usage was comparatively low, even though statistics showing their effectiveness were widely available. The airbag was designed to inflate instantly upon a crash, blowing up from the driver's steering wheel and cushioning the driver from coming into contact with the wheel or the dashboard upon getting in a crash. Manufacturers have long impressed upon the public that airbags are not intended as an alternative to seat belts.
  
  

Potential

• As automobile-related fatalities are still the number one cause of accidental death in America, manufacturers are pulling out all the stops to make their vehicles as safe as possible for drivers and passengers. Improvements made in recent years, or those soon to be implemented on a widespread basis, include automatic braking systems that can detect and reduce the impact of a collision and night vision systems that can help the driver see further under nighttime driving conditions. Another feature that's growing in popularity is the implementation of reverse sensors that assist the driver when backing up. Sometimes these are replaced by or instituted along with a rear view camera.