Rather underestimated and perhaps even somewhat disliked, seat belts are, however, a truly fundamental passive safety device. Why are they so important? Those who wear seat belts reduce the risk of death by up to 50% in the event of an accident. In an article on this site – which you can find by clicking here – we explain the consequences of an impact without a seat belt, with or without an airbag.
But when and where were they invented? The idea came from the Canadian Gustave Desirè Lebeau, who invented "safety straps" made of leather in 1903. Partly due to the risk of suffocation they caused, and partly due to the very low speeds of cars at the time, they did not become widespread. We have to fast forward to 1948 to find them installed as standard on the Tucker Torpedo, a very innovative car. But – as the film Tucker: The Man and His Dream, dedicated to Preston Tucker's entrepreneurial adventure, tells us – the factory was forced to close to "protect" the automotive majors.
Seat belts reappeared on some cars in 1957, proving their usefulness over time until they became standard equipment from 1960. In 1969, Czechoslovakia was the first nation in the world to make them mandatory by law, followed by France in 1973 and other European countries.
The acceptance of seat belts was not easy. In 1969, the twenty-four-year-old Belgian driver Jacky Ickx made a significant gesture at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The starting procedure required drivers to run on foot to their cars lined up on the track and then take off, often without fastening their seat belts to gain precious tenths of a second. That year, Jacky Ickx calmly walked to his car, fastened his seat belt, and started, obviously last. The race was marked by the death of driver John Wolfe, who was thrown from the cockpit – he wasn't wearing a seat belt! – after losing control of his car. Jacky Ickx won. From the following year, at the 24 Hours, the start was given with the drivers already seated in their cars and with their seat belts fastened.
What about Italy? It was in 1988 that seat belts became mandatory for the driver and the passenger in the front seat. The extension to passengers in the "back" only came in 2006. Especially for safety, never forget them!
