Car Safety Features That Actually Matter

You probably wear one every time you’re in a car, but how much do you really know about seat belts?The very first safety belt was invented in the 1800s, but seat belts weren’t a required accessory in cars until the late 1960s, and laws mandating seat belt usage didn't arrive for another 20 years. And they weren’t exactly popular. In fact, regulations that required the automotive industry to provide seat belts were initially fought by the Reagan administration! Today, however, seat belt usage in the United States is around 92% and seatbelts are believed to save around 15,000 American lives per year.In this article, we’ll take a look at the humble seat belt: how seat belts work, seat belt history, and the safety statistics for seat belt usage today.(And yes, according to AP Style, it’s “seat belt” – two words!)Your Complete Guide to Seat BeltsSeat belts are everywhere. But why do we have to wear them, how do they work, and where did they come from? Read on to learn more about this life-saving device.Seat Belts: Essential FactsLet’s start with the basics. Seat belts are usually made up of:Anchors, the places where the seat belt is securely attached to the carWebbing, the actual fabric belt itself (or belts), usually made from a strong and elastic tightly woven polyesterBuckle(s), the socket and tongue system that secure the webbing around the seat occupantRetractor(s), the mechanism that controls the amount of webbing in use and its fit, sometimes equipped with a pre-tensioner that reacts to sudden pulls and locks the belt in place for safetyGenerally, seat belts are classed by “points” – meaning anchors, the places where the belt is attached to the vehicle. You may have seen a few different kinds of seat belts around. The seatbelts on planes are typically two-point lap belts, variations of which are also sometimes still seen in the rear seats of older vehicle models. These seat belts are attached to the vehicle at two points, one on either side of your hips, thus the name.The most ubiquitous seatbelts in the United States, however, are what are called three point seat belts – think car seat belts with both a lap and shoulder (sash) strap, meeting together at one point with a buckle. These three-point belts – first invented by engineer Nils Bohlin for Volvo in the 1950s – are legally mandated by the U.S., U.K., and Canada, among others, for their improved safety.That said, seat belt types don’t end at three points! If you’ve ever watched NASCAR or fastened a child’s car seat, you might be familiar with 4, 5, and 6-point belts, and some aerial artists even use a 7-point system to make sure they’re protected from falls.How Seat Belts WorkThinking back to physics class, you might remember that an object in motion tends to stay in motion. In an accident, if your car hits something and suddenly stops, your body – if not attached to the car – will continue moving forward. Many of the worst injuries and fatalities on the road come when a person is ejected from the vehicle or hits the dashboard or vehicle ceiling. While seat belts might not be perfect at preventing all injuries, they significantly reduce the risk of serious injury or death by holding a person in place.Interestingly, Nils Bohlin, the Volvo engineer who invented the 3 point seat belt, had previously been employed in aviation as an engineer working on systems for safely ejecting from fighter jets. He applied many of the same principles of motion when he was charged with making vehicles safer.You may be overpaying on your auto loanCar dealerships mark up their prices, leaving you paying more than you need to be. It’s easy to find out how much money you could save with a better rate and lower car payment through Auto Approve. All it takes is a few clicks – no commitment required. Better safe than sorry, right?Get a free quote to see how much you could save.Seat Belt History The First Seat BeltsAs mentioned above, the very first safety belt was arguably invented in the early 1800s. Sir George Cayley, an English aerial pioneer who designed the first successful glider to carry a human being, included a rudimentary harness on the glider. The line, however, from that harness to today’s ubiquitous seat belts is not a straight one. While Cayley may have been the first to think strapping in made safety sense as new vehicles developed, his idea didn’t catch on like wildfire. Seat belts don’t appear again until, separately, a New Yorker named Edward J. Claghorn patented an idea for a harness for taxi passengers in 1885, and it wasn’t until the 1920s that similar devices came into the public consciousness when race car pioneer Barney Oldfield commissioned a parachute manufacturer to create a system to strap him into his vehicle for the Indy 500.Even then, seatbelts remained deeply unpopular. According to AAA, there was a belief at the time that it was safer to be ejected from the vehicle, and car manufacturers worried that too many safety features would imply that their vehicles weren’t safe to drive.For those reasons, it wasn’t until Nils Bohlin invented the three-point belt – much as we know it today, with one continuous belt to protect both the upper and lower body, attached by a single buckle – that seat belts really took off.Seat Belts As We Know ThemBohlin’s three-point belts improved vehicle safety greatly and started to become commonplace in some parts of the world. This expansion was greatly aided by the fact that Bohlin and Volvo decided to give the design for the seat belt away for free, making it available to all vehicle manufacturers in the late 1950s.In 1961, Wisconsin became the first U.S. state to require seat belts be installed in the front seats of cars, and in 1968, some sort of belt in the front seat was a federal requirement. But that’s not the end of the story, by far! It might be strange now to think of, but as recently as the 1970s and ‘80s, seat belts were controversial and faced legal challenges in the United States. The Reagan administration tried to turn the tide on regulations requiring manufacturers to include seat belts, revoking the existing regulations. In an unexpected twist, it was insurers who sued to get the seat belt requirements reinstated in the interest of passenger safety. They won their case in the Supreme Court, and seat belts became a required part of each new vehicle produced or sold in the United States.From there, states began rolling out different regulations requiring drivers and passengers to wear their seat belts, starting with New York mandating those in the front seat of a vehicle wear a seat belt or face a fine. These laws were seen by some as government overreach and an infringement on personal freedoms, but as study after study showed that belts reduced the risk of fatalities, head injury, and other serious injuries, public opinion came around.Today, every state except New Hampshire has some sort of law on the books requiring seat belt usage, though details, enforcement, and possible consequences vary.Seat Belt Safety StatisticsFor many people, the biggest question is. Do seat belts actually make you safer? And the answer is a resounding yes.According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the US Department of Transportation, in 2017 alone, seat belts saved 14,955 lives and could have saved 2,549 more.Here are a few more key facts from the NHTSA:Being ejected from a car in a crash is almost always fatal.If you’re not buckled up, air bags not only won’t be enough to protect you, but can do serious injury. Air bags are designed to be used in conjunction with seat belts – not instead of them.Improper seat belt use – using only one part of the belt or placing it under your arm – is less effective and can be dangerous.Most importantly, correctly wearing your three-point seat belt when in a passenger car reduces your risk of fatal injury by 45% and of moderate or critical injury by 50%. These numbers are even higher for light truck drivers and passengers (60% and 65%, respectively).In Short, Seat Belts Make Riding In A Car SaferNow you know so much more about the what, how, and why of seat belt safety! Make sure you buckle up on your next ride, whether it’s a quick trip to the grocery store or an epic road trip, and encourage your loved ones to do the same.Put more money in your pocket for the things that matterFind out how much you can save by refinancing your vehicle with Auto Approve. Getting a quote is easy. 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Looking for ways to save money on groceries? You’re not alone. Lots of people are on the hunt for tricks to spend less this year.Grocery prices are up, and for a wide number of reasons – from supply chain challenges to corporations raising prices to changes in international trade. But the why doesn’t matter when you’re in the check out line – only how to lower your bill.Fortunately, there are many simple ways you can pay less for groceries in 2025, despite higher price tags on many essentials.In this article, we’ve gathered 8 simple tips and tricks you can apply right away to start reducing your grocery store costs.8 Tips For Saving Money at the Grocery StoreWhile not all of these ideas will work for everyone (and there will likely be some things here you’re already doing!), there should be something here for anyone wondering how to save money on groceries in 2025.1. Plan, Plan, PlanThe number one most important thing to do when trying to spend less at the grocery store is plan ahead. Planning allows you to create a budget and stick to it.Make a meal plan for the week and then a grocery list based on that meal plan. Doing this can help avoid unnecessary or splurge purchases and stay on track at the grocery store. Planning for several days in a row can also help ensure you’re getting enough variety, not planning too many expensive items in one week, and not overestimating how much cooking you can handle.Being realistic when planning can help you stay on track. If you know one day will be busy, plan a simple and quick recipe for that day. If you usually get take away several nights a week, choose one night to pick-up pre-made food, or include frozen meals in your planning. Yes, making food from scratch will generally cost less than pre-made or take away options, but you’re allowed to work up to it. It’s ok if you don’t turn into Julia Child overnight – the idea is to make small, sustainable steps toward spending less in the long term!Pro Tip: Finding that your meal plans are still leaving you over budget? The problem might be a too-expensive menu at the foundation. Consider adding more affordable dishes to your recipe rotation.2. Keep Track Of What You HaveBetween 30 and 40 percent of food in the US turns into food waste, including 31 percent at the customer and retail level. That means a lot of us are buying more food than we eat. Obviously, that means there’s room for improvement in how we collectively shop and use the food we buy.The first way to combat food waste is by making sure you know what’s already in your fridge and cabinets. If one dish will only use part of something perishable, make sure your menu for the week uses up the other half of it. If multiple people in the house buy groceries, keep a shared grocery list and update it regularly to avoid double buying. And, to save money, occasionally do an audit – of your fridge, freezer, and dry and canned goods – and make sure to work what you already have into your menu.You’ll pay less at the store, and you might find a new recipe or combination of things you like!3. Buy What You’ll UseOn a similar note, you can avoid food waste (and tossing hard-earned dollars in the trash!) by buying only what you need and know you will use. If you’re someone who (like your humble blog writer) can only really plan 3 or 4 days out before you start getting restless, don’t buy 7 days of groceries knowing you’ll likely deviate from your plans. Buy 3 or 4 days of ingredients and make another trip later in the week. If two smaller trips can work for your schedule, you’ll be more likely to use what you buy – and, as a bonus, your fruit, vegetables, dairy, and proteins will be fresher when you get to them.This also applies to buying in bulk or buying smaller containers of things. Buy what you’ll use. That means, if you know you use a lot of something and you can get it cheaper per unit by buying in bulk, do it! If you know you use only a little of something in the course of a year, buying a smaller package might make sense. While it’s true that buying in bulk usually saves money, when things are tight, if you almost never use balsamic vinegar and just ran out, it’s ok to pay $5 for a small bottle instead of $9 for one twice the size – sometimes holding onto $4 now is more precious than paying one less dollar in six months or a year.Buying 6 giant bottles of olive oil might mean paying less for olive oil by volume, but if it costs $70 that you can’t now use on other things, have you made the right choice for your budget?4. Look Out For DiscountsThis is a simple solution, but no less effective!There are tons of ways to get discounts on food. You can join store membership programs that allow you to collect points or qualify you for member prices. You can shop weekly sales and collect coupons. And you can join programs designed to combat food waste to connect you to stores with excess products or food they think will expire before it sells, like Olio, FlashFood, and Too Good To Go.Leaving a little flexibility or using weekly sale flyers to make your meal plan can help you pay less for your ingredients and meals.Looking for another way to put more money in your pocket?Consider refinancing your vehicle with Auto Approve. Many people are paying more than they need to on their monthly car payment, thanks to dealer markups and volatile interest rates. Discover how much you could save on your monthly car payment in just a few minutes.Get your free quote now.5. Don’t Be Afraid To Get GranularPrice comparing every item you shop might feel maddening at first, but if you’re not putting a lot of thought into the brands you choose or how much of something you buy, now’s a good time to start. While 70 cents here and 30 cents there might seem too small to be worth considering, you can shift your total costs for the year significantly by making those small choices over and over.Sure, sometimes the extra dollar comes with a huge jump in quality, but in many cases, store brands and generic brands are essentially identical to their pricier counterparts. If you have wiggle room, it’s generally best to pick your battles so you never feel like you’re depriving yourself. Financial psychologists suggest that using up too much self control on little things can make you more likely to splurge on something bigger over time.Pro tip: If you go looking, most grocery stores have a scale for customer use in the produce aisle, so if you want to get extra nitpicky, you can start weighing your fruits and vegetables to make sure you stay under budget.6. Branch Out From RoutineAnother way to save money at the grocery store is to look for lower cost options in new places. This can mean trying a vegetable or protein you haven’t made before from your regular store, or trying out new stores. Price comparing your favorite items at competitor stores can help you find deals – and so can branching out to specialty stores. Try visiting local markets that tailor to specific international or regional cuisines, retailers’ cooperatives, or small stores and markets that work directly with local producers. You might find that there are things that cost much less there, and you might find new affordable ingredients that excite you!7. Buy Local & SeasonalOn a similar note, while farmers’ markets have a reputation for organic produce and higher prices, you can sometimes find great deals on produce when dealing directly with the people that grow and harvest it. Keeping track of what’s in season and abundant can give you a clue as to what’s likely to be most affordable.Plus, with prices to import goods from other countries potentially fluctuating, you can avoid sticker shock by keeping track of what’s grown in your area and planning to buy and eat what’s readily available and unaffected by any potential shifts.8. Never Shop Hungry!Last but certainly not least, this is old wisdom, but it holds true. Don’t go to the grocery store hungry! Simply don’t do it! It’s a recipe for coming home with a pile of unplanned snacks and a half baked dinner plan.And Those Are The Best Ways To Save Money on GroceriesNow you know how to save money at the grocery store – all that’s left is to put these tips to work. 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Looking for one of the best road trip movies ever to watch? We’ve got you covered.Whether you’re hitting the road yourself or just dreaming of a cross country drive, this list of some of the best road trip movies of all time can help you get in a road trip state of mind.Here at Auto Approve, we love cars – even fictional ones. From wacky hijinks to serious dramas, kids movies to zombie flicks, this list of some of the top rated road trip movies according to critics and audiences alike. (And if you want a no drama way to refinance your vehicle and pay less on your auto loan, we’re here to help!)What to Watch: Best Road Trip MoviesWhile not all of these movies will be to everyone’s taste, there should be something here for everyone.1. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)One of the rare movies equally beloved by both critics and audiences, this quirky comedy about a family driving across the US together in a VW bus to support a little girl who makes the finals of a beauty pageant is heart-warming, poignant, and funny.2. Nomadland (2020)Nomadland is a visually striking drama about a woman, played with depth and subtlety by Frances McDormand, who loses everything and moves into an RV. Based on a true story, it was a critical darling when it was released in 2020, and while the quiet pacing may not be for everyone, it’s a stunning portrait of a difficult life juxtaposed with incredible views of the American West.3. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)This post-apocalyptic action movie may not exactly inspire your next road trip, but it’s certainly a thrilling and well-made action adventure. The movie follows a warrior (Charlize Theron) in a tyrannical society leading a daring escape and trying to drive herself and her companions to safety in a lengthy high speed chase.Got a bad rate on your car loan? It’s not the end of the world.Most people are paying too much on their auto loan, thanks to dealer markups. If you want to lower your monthly car payment, Auto Approve can help find your best possible deal. And if you decide you’re ready to refinance, we do the paperwork for you.Get a free quote to see how much you could save.4. Paper Moon (1973)With a 91% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and 94% audience score, Paper Moon is a gem of a movie. It’s a crime comedy with a heart that was released in 1973 but shot in black and white and styled to look like an old Hollywood classic. It stars real life father and daughter Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal as a con-man tasked with bringing a little girl to relatives after the death of her mother, only to find that the little girl has a natural knack for confidence tricks.5. Smokey and The Bandit (1977)While perhaps less of a critical darling, no road trip movie list would be complete without Smokey and the Bandit. This classic action trucker comedy – which was a box office hit, to be clear, despite lukewarm reviews – follows notorious truckers Bandit and Snowman (played by Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reid) as they attempt to smuggle 400 cases of Coors beer from Texas to Atlanta.6. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)Arguably the only major Thanksgiving movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is an annual rewatch for many. It’s a deeply goofy comedy with a heart of gold starring superstar funnymen Steve Martin and John Candy as two strangers who do everything to make it to Chicago for Thanksgiving.7. The Muppet Movie (1979)If you’ve ever heard Kermit the Frog sing about a rainbow connection, then you already know a little bit about The Muppet Movie. The first movie starring the iconic Muppet characters, this road trip movie takes Kermit and Fozzie across the U.S. (and perhaps briefly Canada) in search of fame and fortune in Hollywood. Along the way, they meet new friends, face dangers, and even, in the case of a particular lady pig, fall in love.8. Chef (2014)This uplifting dramedy was a passion project of Jon Favreau, who wrote, produced, directed and starred – quite the feat! Chef tells the story of a chef at a fine dining restaurant in Los Angeles who clashes with the restaurant’s owner, quits in spectacular fashion, and ends up traveling to Miami after a viral meltdown. There, he’s given a broken down old food truck, which he restores with the help of family and community, then sets out on the road to drive back to Los Angeles.9. Sideways (2004)Sideways is a critically acclaimed road trip film in the tradition of smart but depressing dramedies about midlife. It follows two men in their forties going on a two-man bachelor party weekend in California’s wine country. Thomas Haden Church stars as a washed up actor about to be married and Paul Giamatti plays his friend, a divorced teacher and unpublished author.10. Zombieland (2009)Last but certainly not least, Zombieland is a comedic horror movie set in a future where a zombie plague has taken hold, starring Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. They play survivors of the plague who work together to drive to a rumored safe zone in California.Special MentionsThese are the 10 films we selected as the best road trip movies, but there are many more great movies (and a few beloved movies of dubious quality) that feature a road trip. Here are a few that didn’t make the cut but are still well worth a watch if they’re up your alley:Will and HarperRoad TripCrossroadsRoad HouseConvoyThe Blues BrothersAnd Those Are Our Top Movies With Road TripsMake some popcorn and hit the couch with your next favorite road movie – and who knows, you might just find yourself inspired to take off for an adventure of your own! After all, there are plenty of great reasons to make your next vacation a road trip. Road trips offer great scenery and activities close to home, and can offer a great getaway at a lower cost. And who doesn’t want to save a few bucks?If you want more money in your pocket, consider refinancing with Auto Approve.Auto Approve can help you find savings on your monthly car payment. Simply fill out our no-commitment form, and in a matter of minutes, find out how much you could save with a lower payment, lower rate, or both.Get your free quote now.