Crumple Zones

Before the 1950s, passenger safety was not a high priority for car manufacturers. But as cars became faster and faster, crashes became more deadly. This was changed by two remarkable inventions. The crumple zone was first patented in 1937 by the pioneering Hungarian engineer Béla Barényi, but wasn’t implemented commercially until 1953, when it was partially implemented in the Mercedes Benz Ponton. A fuller version of the crumple zone debuted 60 years ago in the 1959 Mercedes Benz W111.

Also debuting in 1959 was a new “three-point” seatbelt developed by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin. Previous cars may have had optional lap belts, but the addition of the shoulder strap was key to prevent passengers from hitting their heads on the hard steering wheel or dashboard.

Together, these inventions have saved millions of lives. Students can explore these and other aspects of automobile safety in the new Crumple Zones Gizmo. This Gizmo provides a great way to apply physics concepts to a real-world engineering problem.