Nils Bohlin facts for kids

Nils Ivar Bohlin (born July 17, 1920 – died September 26, 2002) was a Swedish engineer and inventor. He is famous for inventing the modern three-point safety belt. This invention has saved countless lives around the world. He created it while working at the car company Volvo.

Nils Bohlin's Life and Inventions

Early Life and Engineering

Nils Bohlin was born in Härnösand, Sweden. He studied mechanical engineering. He earned his diploma in 1939. In 1942, he started working for Saab. Saab was an aircraft company. There, he helped design ejection seats for airplanes.

Inventing the Safety Belt

In 1958, Nils Bohlin joined Volvo. He became a safety engineer. He is known for inventing the modern three-point safety belt. This belt is now a standard safety feature in all cars.

Bohlin worked on the seat belt for about a year. He used his skills from developing ejection seats. His main goal was to keep drivers safe in car accidents. After testing his new three-point safety belt, he showed it to Volvo in 1959. He received his first patent for this invention. Ten years later, in 1969, he led Volvo's Central Research and Development Department.

Awards and Recognition

Nils Bohlin received many awards for his work. In 1974, he won the Ralph Isbrandt Automotive Safety Engineering Award. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Safety and Health in 1989. In 1995, he received a gold medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He was also inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1999.

Bohlin retired from Volvo in 1985. He was a Senior Engineer. After he passed away, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Personal Life

Nils Bohlin was married to Maj-Britt Bohlin. He was a stepfather to her two sons. Together, they had two children. He also had thirteen grandchildren. Nils Bohlin died on September 26, 2002, at 82 years old. He was buried in Sweden.

The Safety Belt's Impact on History

The three-point seat belt changed the world. It helps prevent serious injuries during car crashes. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that seat belts save about 15,000 lives each year in the United States.

Proving the Belt's Effectiveness

Nils Bohlin did more than just design the belt. He also showed how well it worked. He studied 28,000 car accidents in Sweden. His study showed that people not wearing seat belts were often fatally injured. However, no one wearing a seat belt was fatally injured in accidents below 60 miles per hour. Also, no belted person died if the car's passenger area stayed intact.

This study was very important. It led the United States Department of Transportation to require three-point seat belts in American cars. In 1968, the new seat belt design was made free for everyone to use. Today, in most industrial countries, people are required by law to wear seat belts.