Quote:
Originally Posted by peverett
Ford tried to sell lap seat belts as an option in the 1950s and failed(The were also some pressured to stop by General Motors).
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That statement is patently untrue, and I challenge you to provide any evidence to back it up, or even explain their motivation to do so. It is sadly one of those urban myths that people feel the need to invent when they feel the need to disparage a large organization.
GM controlled +/- 50% of the market when Ford offered seatbelts, along with padded dashboards and steering wheels as a $55 option package which found few takers. I doubt GM would have cared any more about Ford's seatbelt option than their automatic-emptying ashtray. (Yes, there was such a thing)
By the late 50s all manufacturers were offering seat belts as options, but they were ordered so infrequently that most were sold through accessory catalogs and installed by dealers. By the mid-60s, they became popular enough for factories to begin installing them. They became mandated safety equipment in 1968.