Seat belt

A strap-based restraint that secures an occupant in a seat to reduce injury during sudden stops or collisions. It restrains the body and spreads crash forces across stronger areas such as the pelvis and chest.

Three-point seat belt: A restraint with one continuous strap crossing the pelvis and chest, anchored at three points. Its diagonal shoulder strap and lap belt restrain the torso and pelvis together.
Nils Bohlin: A Swedish engineer who designed Volvo's modern three-point seat belt. His 1959 design joined lap and diagonal restraints in a practical belt.
Lap belt: A restraint strap that crosses the pelvis without a shoulder portion. It restrains the lower body but provides less upper-body control than a three-point belt.
Seat belt effectiveness: The reduction in death and injury risk associated with wearing a seat belt in a crash. Population studies quantify the protection produced by belt use.
Seat belt pretensioner: A device that rapidly removes slack from a seat belt during a collision. It positions the occupant against the seat before substantial forward motion.
Volvo Amazon: A Volvo automobile model introduced in 1956 and among the first offered with a three-point belt. Volvo introduced Bohlin's belt in this model in 1959.
Five-point harness: A restraint with two shoulder straps, two hip straps, and a crotch strap meeting at a central buckle. It secures occupants in racing cars and child seats more fully than a passenger-car belt.
Ejection mitigation: Measures that reduce the chance an occupant is thrown from a vehicle during a crash. Keeping occupants inside the vehicle is a major function of belt restraint.
Load limiter: A restraint component that allows controlled belt payout above a chosen force threshold. It reduces chest loading after the belt has begun restraining the occupant.
Seat belt legislation: Laws requiring or regulating the use and installation of seat belts in vehicles. Legal requirements helped turn belts from optional equipment into routine protection.

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