The consequences of motor vehicle accidents were quite obvious from the time the first cars rolled off the assembly line at Henry Ford’s plant in 1913. As motor vehicles became more widespread, and as we saw the introduction of commercial vehicles and professional drivers, safety became not only a personal concern, but a business one as well.
When there’s a concern, industry naturally innovates. And of course, there was an innovation in driver safety introduced to the global market for commercial motor vehicles, as an answer to this dangerous problem. It was truly groundbreaking. Never before was a technology innovation so widely recognized as being able to ensure that workers in vehicles were safe.
Despite that, when the innovation was introduced, the market adopted it slowly and only 10-15% of workers in vehicles were protected by this new technology. Government laws and regulations eventually helped drive adoption. Driver safety policies and programs in companies also help increase the use of this new technology. After 30 years, more than 60% of workers in motor vehicles were protected by this incredible innovation. As a result, business expenses and liability claims dropped dramatically, because adoption continued to grow and more workers made it home safely to their families at the end of the work day.
The innovation was introduced in 1959.
The innovation was developed by the Swedish engineer, Nils Bohlin.
The new technology was the three-point seatbelt.
Would you wait 30 years to ensure your workers’ safety, lower your expenses and liability, and increase your company profits?
We wouldn’t either. Don’t wait.
Technology has and continues to change how we evolve and adapt safety, both in society and the employee workplace. Interested in reading more on how current technology is transforming the modern workplace? Check it out here.