Automotive
1970s automotive safety innovations laid groundwork for modern vehicle standards
Federal mandates and rising traffic fatalities spurred a decade of experimental safety features, from early electronic anti-lock brakes to high-mounted stop lamps.
The short version
- Automakers and researchers introduced key safety technologies in the 1970s, including four-wheel anti-lock brakes, early airbags, low-speed impact bumpers, high-mounted brake lights, and seat belt pre-tensioners.
- High costs, early driver resistance, and aesthetic complaints initially limited public adoption of features like electronic anti-lock systems and airbags.
- Real-world trials and federal mandates subsequently turned these 1970s experiments into universal standards for modern passenger vehicles.
Key facts
- Chrysler and Bendix introduced the 1971 Imperial Sure-Brake system as the first electronically controlled four-wheel anti-skid system, though it was dropped in 1974 due to low adoption of its $350 cost.[Jalopnik]
- General Motors offered the Air Cushion Restraint System (ACRS) airbags using argon gas inflation in the mid-1970s as a $225 option, but discontinued it due to poor sales.[Jalopnik]
- A 1974 experiment by psychologist Dr. John Voevodsky mounted elevated pulsing brake lights on 343 San Francisco taxicabs, leading to a 60.6% reduction in rear-end collisions across 12.3 million driven miles.[Jalopnik]
- Federal regulations mandated 5 mph front and 2.5 mph rear impact protection for the 1973 model year, increasing the standard to 5 mph for both front and rear impacts by 1974.[Jalopnik]
- Volkswagen created a mechanical seat belt pre-tensioner system in 1972, and Mercedes-Benz developed pyrotechnic pre-tensioners in the late 1970s to reduce belt slack during collisions.[Jalopnik]