Most people have fond memories of childhood vacations spent crammed in a station wagon. Usually, kids were hanging out of the car windows and definitely not secured. It was also typical to ride in the back of trucks, with no cargo container attached to the bed. As parents, these scenarios strike terror in our hearts, though the accompanying memories are fond. Seat belts weren't always a part of the safety precautions used by modern auto manufacturers. We tend to take for granted their addition to the driving environment.

There are two common types of seat belts that come equipped in automobiles these days. These two belts are the lap belt and the three-point belt. Often times, you'll see a lap belt in the middle seat where a shoulder connection isn't available. The three-point belts are located on the side seats. A lap belt is a simple, single strap that reaches across the hip area and it serves to keep people secured to their seat during an accident. A three-point seat belt has a lap belt connected to a shoulder strap that runs diagonally across the body. This style of seat belt provides more side protection in the event of an accident, along with keeping you from being thrown from the vehicle. These are the most common styles of safety belts in cars, although many other styles exist in alternative vehicles. Race cars will use a very more secure 6 point harness whereas airplane pilots use an even more restrictive 7 point harness to strap them in.

While the seat belt was first introduced by Volvo in 1949, it took numerous decades before the safety tool was widely used by manufacturers. The concept itself was even older, with patents being issued for seat belts as early as the late 1800s. In 1959, Volvo also led the industry by rolling out the three-point harness seat belt, the most commonly employed model in modern vehicles. By this time, many manufacturers had added seat belts as a standard option for customer service and safety purposes. It wasn't until the 1970s that government began to concentrate on the safety advantages that wearing a seat belt offers. Even then, the legislation was slow to take hold. Australia was the first country to make seat belt use required by law. Other countries followed this example and by the late 80s, this was a fairly common law wherever you traveled.

While there has always been good evidence that wearing properly designed seat belts could minimize the risk of injury and death in a collision, the data was largely gathered around adult occupants. The information required to make good laws regarding children and seat belts was a long time coming. In fact, until the 80s, it wasn't even examined as a separate issue. Today, it is proven that children who are in a restraint designed for an adult actually have a higher risk or injury and death; in fact, there are about 10% more deaths in this situation, and 12% more injuries. Because of this, laws have evolved that required children under a certain weight and age to be placed in child restraints. This reduces the overall risks. In today's society, we are more aware than ever of the risks that surround us. Every modern vehicle comes stock with seat belts to restrain and protect. Using your seat belt provides insurance and can save your life. As parents, it is not only irresponsible, but illegal, to let children to ride without the proper safety precautions. Seat belts are a simple thing, but they can and do save lives every day.