Three Points, One Hand: Nils Bohlin and the Seat Belt | Kitson Teaches Pro, Book 1
Why does a belt fixed at three points on the car body save lives, and why did it matter that you can buckle it with one hand? Kitson Teaches Pro, Book 1: the story of Nils Bohlin, the Swedish engineer behind the three-point seat belt that Volvo introduced in 1959.
Try it first: read the free sample (the opening pages and Chapter One) with the Preview button, and watch the free video.
A regular book in plain, readable prose (46 pages, PDF), written for working professionals, engineers and curious adults. What is inside:
- The world before the belt, and the problem engineers faced
- The engineering, explained properly: why three fixed points on the car body work
- The breakthrough, the patent and the decision to let every carmaker use it
- Adoption and impact, with sourced numbers (and which claims are the company's own)
- What went wrong and what is disputed
- Lessons for engineers and professionals today
Every fact is sourced, and the full list of sources with access dates is at the back. Where sources disagree, the book says so.
Not the right book if you want a guide to fitting, repairing or modifying safety equipment: this is engineering history.
More in the series: ten engineers of the 1950s, from medical ultrasound to the hovercraft, $19 each. See them all at kitson-workshop.pages.dev/engineers.
Pay once, read for ever: one purchase is for one reader. Please do not share or resell the file.
For educational purposes only. Names and trademarks belong to their owners; no endorsement is implied. Drawings and text are our own.
