141 years ago, the seatbelt was patented… before the automobile!
- Published on 10/02/2026 11:37
- Modified on 10/02/2026 11:50
On February 10, 1885, an American patent unknowingly laid the first stone of a device that would save millions of lives.
141 years ago, on February 10, 1885, Edward J. Claghorn filed patent no. 312 085 in the United States for a “Safety-Belt,” literally a seatbelt. However, there was nothing automotive about this invention! His idea was not to patent a car seatbelt as we know it today but a comprehensive restraint device designed to keep a person secured to a seat or a fixed support in a moving vehicle. Everything has to start somewhere, and this date marks a foundational milestone in the history of transportation safety.
At the end of the 19th century, the automobile was still in its infancy. Road safety concerns were non-existent, and the average speed of a motorized vehicle remained negligible. Claghorn’s patent primarily targeted domestic or professional uses: preventing falls, stabilizing a passenger, or securing a sitting position. It was more of a harness than a modern lap belt. But the principle is there: restraining the body to prevent the worst.
Thank You, Volvo!
It would take several decades for the idea to truly migrate to the automobile. The first two-point seatbelts appeared timidly in the 1940s and 1950s, often as optional. The real turning point came in 1959 when Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin, at Volvo, developed the three-point seatbelt, still in use today. This innovation transformed passive safety and gradually became a global standard.
This historical reminder highlights an irony: the object that has become a symbol of automotive safety was not born in the automobile. Thus, February 10, 1885, does not celebrate the modern seatbelt but the first official acknowledgment of an individual restraint system. An essential nuance, but an indisputable starting point.
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In the realm of technical history, great revolutions do not always emerge all at once. They are written in stages, patent after patent. And Claghorn’s, forgotten by the general public, remains the very first administrative record of a simple idea: to buckle up to protect. An intuition over a century old that continues to save lives on roads around the world every day.
ALSO READ: Volvo revolutionizes an accessory that has saved so many lives!
This page is translated from the original post "Il y a 141 ans, la ceinture de sécurité était brevetée… avant l’automobile !" in French.
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