when were airbags made mandatory in the uk
Airbag Some countries outside North America adhere to internationalized European ECE vehicle and equipment regulations rather than the United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. ECE airbags are generally smaller and inflate less forcefully than United States airbags, because the ECE specifications are based on belted crash test dummies. In the United Kingdom, and most other developed countries there is no direct legal requirement for new cars to feature airbags. Instead, the Euro NCAP vehicle safety rating encourages manufacturers to take a comprehensive approach to occupant safety; a good rating can only be achieved by combining airbags with other safety features.[100] Thus almost all new cars now come with at least two airbags as standard.
Child safety seat Since the first car was manufactured and put on the market in the early 1900s, many modifications and adjustments have been implemented to protect those that drive and ride in motorized vehicles. Most restraints were put into place to protect adults without regard for young children. Though child seats were beginning to be manufactured in the early 1930s, their purpose was not the safety of children. The purpose was to act as booster seats to bring the child to a height easier for the driving parent to see them. It was not until 1962 that two designs with the purpose of protecting a child were developed independently.[5] British inventor Jean Ames created a rear-facing child seat with a Y-shaped strap similar to today's models.[6] American Leonard Rivkin, of Denver Colorado, designed a forward-facing seat with a metal frame to protect the child.[7] It is noted that seat belts for adults were not standard equipment in automobiles until the 1960s.