Fact of the day ·
Inspired by astronauts
Volvo says its first rear-facing child seat, introduced in 1972, took inspiration from astronauts’ take-off position.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗
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A seat belt with a history
Nils Bohlin introduced Volvo’s three-point safety belt in 1959. Volvo later shared the patent with the wider industry.
2026-09-30 (September 30, 2026) · Volvo Cars
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The daily feature rotates through our sourced collection. These are the full collection’s facts, including those coming up in future daily editions.
A seat belt with a history
Nils Bohlin introduced Volvo’s three-point safety belt in 1959. Volvo later shared the patent with the wider industry.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗Inspired by astronauts
Volvo says its first rear-facing child seat, introduced in 1972, took inspiration from astronauts’ take-off position.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗A cushion changed the seat
Volvo introduced its booster cushion in 1978 to help position older children correctly for a seat belt.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗Built into the back seat
Volvo introduced an integrated booster cushion in 1990, building the child restraint into the vehicle seat.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗A camera in the blind spot
Volvo’s first Blind Spot Information System, introduced in 2003, used cameras to detect nearby vehicles.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗Braking with a laser
Volvo’s 2008 City Safety system used laser detection to help avoid low-speed rear-end crashes.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗Protection hidden overhead
Volvo’s inflatable curtain, introduced in 1998, was concealed in the headliner and designed to protect occupants’ heads.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗A seat that absorbs energy
Volvo introduced its WHIPS seat and head-restraint system in 1998 to help manage forces in rear-end impacts.
Source: Volvo Cars ↗Crash tests have a birthday
IIHS began its offset frontal crash-testing program in 1995. Its tests have evolved as vehicle designs have changed.
Source: IIHS ↗Headlights get report cards
IIHS began rating headlights in 2016, adding visibility performance to its vehicle evaluations.
Source: IIHS ↗Small overlap, big challenge
IIHS introduced its small overlap frontal crash test in 2012 to examine crashes involving a narrow part of the vehicle’s front.
Source: IIHS ↗Both sides matter
IIHS added the passenger-side small overlap frontal crash test in 2017, following its earlier driver-side test.
Source: IIHS ↗Child-seat anchors get rated
IIHS introduced LATCH ratings in 2015 to assess how easy vehicle anchors are to use for child restraints.
Source: IIHS ↗An institute older than many cars
IIHS was founded in 1959 by three major insurance associations. It became an independent research organization a decade later.
Source: IIHS ↗A home for crash research
IIHS opened its Vehicle Research Center in Ruckersville, Virginia, in 1992.
Source: IIHS ↗Even belt reminders are tested
IIHS began rating seat belt reminders in 2022 to encourage alerts that prompt people to buckle up.
Source: IIHS ↗The door has a tire clue
The recommended tire pressure is on the vehicle’s tire-information label or in its owner’s manual, rather than the tire’s sidewall.
Source: NHTSA TireWise ↗Cold tires do not mean winter
For a pressure check, NHTSA defines cold tires as tires on a vehicle that has not been driven for at least three hours.
Source: NHTSA TireWise ↗Tires have birthdays too
The last four digits of a modern tire’s identification number indicate its manufacturing week and year.
Source: NHTSA TireWise ↗A dashboard warning with two designs
The tire-pressure warning can look like a tire cross-section with an exclamation mark or a car with its four tires highlighted.
Source: NHTSA TireWise ↗Tire grades cover three things
Uniform Tire Quality Grading compares treadwear, wet-pavement traction and temperature resistance.
Source: NHTSA TireWise ↗The spare needs attention too
NHTSA recommends checking tire pressure at least monthly, including the spare, when the tires are cold.
Source: NHTSA TireWise ↗Before there were five stars
NHTSA began frontal-impact vehicle testing in 1978. Its five-star rating system arrived in 1993.
Source: NHTSA ratings ↗Side impacts joined the program
NHTSA began testing and rating vehicles for side crash protection in 1996.
Source: NHTSA ratings ↗Rollover testing came later
NHTSA began testing vehicles for rollover resistance in 2000 and updated those tests in 2003.
Source: NHTSA ratings ↗More than crash ratings
NHTSA also publishes car-seat ease-of-use ratings, which assess the usability of features rather than a crash-protection ranking.
Source: NHTSA ratings ↗Window stickers gained stars
In 2006, NHTSA required five-star safety rating information on new-vehicle window labels.
Source: NHTSA ratings ↗An overall score arrived in 2010
NHTSA enhanced its five-star ratings in 2010 with an Overall Vehicle Score and information on recommended safety technologies.
Source: NHTSA ratings ↗Warning and braking are different
Forward collision warning alerts the driver to a potential collision. Automatic emergency braking can apply the brakes.
Source: NHTSA driver assistance ↗Blind spots have different helpers
Blind spot warning provides an alert; blind spot intervention can apply braking or steering to help avoid a lane-change collision.
Source: NHTSA driver assistance ↗Cruise control can watch the gap
Adaptive cruise control adjusts speed to help maintain a chosen following distance from the vehicle ahead.
Source: NHTSA driver assistance ↗