Seat belts have been perhaps the most important innovation in motor vehicle safety since automobiles were invented. However, even though these devices can greatly improve motor vehicle safety, they can also result in seat belt injuries. Often this occurs when the seat belts are improperly used, but sometimes it happens even when they are used as intended.
Although the idea of a belt being used to secure a person for safety purposes had been around since the 19th century and had been in use in airplanes since shortly after they were invented, they did not begin to become commonplace in automobiles until the late 1940s and the 1950s when a few auto manufacturers began to offer them as optional equipment. They did not become mandatory equipment in passenger vehicles in the United States until 1968.