1999 sees the 40th anniversary of the three-point seatbelt being fitted as standard in all of its cars. The manufacturer, almost needless to say, was Volvo. Patented by Nils Bohlin, it still took some years for its widespread acceptance by other OEMs. Since those days advances made in active and passive safety features in cars have gone in leaps and bounds. No longer are the safety aspects played down but are now positively highlighted by the various marketing departments. And still the Swedes lead the way. Volvo, for example, has recently introduced a more sophisticated airbag system into its models. This features two trigger levels, determined by the speed of impact. The bag will not inflate unnecessarily in a very low-speed collision and as a further refinement, the doors automatically unlock in any impact that triggers the airbag.
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