Skip to content
Watch Live
British Broadcasting Corporation
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Innovation
  • Health
  • Culture
  • Arts
  • Travel
  • Earth
  • Audio
  • Video
  • Live
  • Documentaries
Watch Live
News imageWitness History, Witness History, The invention of the seat belt

Witness History

Witness History

The invention of the seat belt


Up next

News imageWitness History, Witness History, First women’s minister in Iran

First women’s minister in Iran

News imageWitness History, Witness History, When Sweden’s roads went right

When Sweden’s roads went right

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The corruption and sodomy trials of Anwar Ibrahim

The corruption and sodomy trials of Anwar Ibrahim

News imageWitness History, Witness History, How cat's eyes were invented

How cat's eyes were invented

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Mombasa terror attacks

Mombasa terror attacks

News imageWitness History, Witness History, CrossFit: The fitness phenomenon that changed the industry

CrossFit: The fitness phenomenon that changed the industry

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The islands Japan and Russia can’t agree on

The islands Japan and Russia can’t agree on

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The woman who smuggled HIV into Bulgaria in her handbag

The woman who smuggled HIV into Bulgaria in her handbag

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Miss World protest

Miss World protest

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Quebec’s 1995 referendum

Quebec’s 1995 referendum

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Demolishing the Babri Masjid

Demolishing the Babri Masjid

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The Killing of Jean Charles de Menezes

The Killing of Jean Charles de Menezes

News imageWitness History, Witness History, 'The Dismissal' of Gough Whitlam

'The Dismissal' of Gough Whitlam

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Creating Teletubbies

Creating Teletubbies

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Mongolian revolution

Mongolian revolution

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The Nazi occupation of Jersey

The Nazi occupation of Jersey

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Returning to District Six

Returning to District Six

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Soviet fashionista

Soviet fashionista

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Felix Baumgartner's huge leap

Felix Baumgartner's huge leap

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Una Marson and the BBC Caribbean Service

Una Marson and the BBC Caribbean Service

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The BBC broadcasting through the Iron Curtain

The BBC broadcasting through the Iron Curtain

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Colombia's 'false positives' killings

Colombia's 'false positives' killings

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Grozny siege

Grozny siege

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Chile mine rescue

Chile mine rescue

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Creating ciabatta bread

Creating ciabatta bread

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Inventing Chicken Manchurian

Inventing Chicken Manchurian

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Malta's bread strike

Malta's bread strike

News imageWitness History, Witness History, Inventing instant noodles

Inventing instant noodles

News imageWitness History, Witness History, The birth of the Slow Food Movement

The birth of the Slow Food Movement

News imageWitness History, Witness History, One team in Tallinn

One team in Tallinn

21 November 2022

9 minutes

Available for over a year

In 1958, the late Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point safety belt for cars.

It's estimated to have saved more than one million lives around the world.

Rachel Naylor speaks to Nils' stepson, Gunnar Ornmark.

(Photo: Nils Bohlin, in 1959, modelling his invention. Credit: Volvo Cars Group)

See more episodes

Programme website


British Broadcasting Corporation
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Innovation
  • Health
  • Culture
  • Arts
  • Travel
  • Earth
  • Audio
  • Video
  • Live
  • Documentaries
  • Weather
  • BBC Shop
  • BritBox

The BBC is in multiple languages

Read the BBC In your own language

Oduu Afaan Oromootiin
Amharic ዜና በአማርኛ
Arabic عربي
Azeri AZƏRBAYCAN
Bangla বাংলা
Burmese မြန်မာ
Chinese 中文网
Dari دری
French AFRIQUE
Hausa HAUSA
Hindi हिन्दी
Gaelic NAIDHEACHDAN
Gujarati ગુજરાતીમાં સમાચાર
Igbo AKỤKỌ N’IGBO
Indonesian INDONESIA
Japanese 日本語
Kinyarwanda GAHUZA
Kirundi KIRUNDI
Korean 한국어
Kyrgyz Кыргыз
Marathi मराठी
Nepali नेपाली
Noticias para hispanoparlantes
Pashto پښتو
Persian فارسی
Pidgin
Polish PO POLSKU
Portuguese BRASIL
Punjabi ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਖ਼ਬਰਾਂ
Russian НА РУССКОМ
Serbian NA SRPSKOM
Sinhala සිංහල
Somali SOMALI
Swahili HABARI KWA KISWAHILI
Tamil தமிழில் செய்திகள்
Telugu తెలుగు వార్తలు
Thai ข่าวภาษาไทย
Tigrinya ዜና ብትግርኛ
Turkish TÜRKÇE
Ukrainian УКРАЇНСЬКA
Urdu اردو
Uzbek O'ZBEK
Vietnamese TIẾNG VIỆT
Welsh NEWYDDION
Yoruba ÌRÒYÌN NÍ YORÙBÁ
Follow BBC on:
  • Terms of Use
  • Subscription Terms
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Contact the BBC
  • Advertise with us
  • Do not share or sell my info
  • BBC.com Help & FAQs
  • Content Index

Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

You might also like:

news | sport | weather | worklife | travel | future | culture | world | business | technology