Cars have come a long way since they were invented well over 100 years ago. One of the biggest areas of change has been in safety. A lot of factors go into automobile safety other than the car itself, such as road design and the characteristics of drivers. The campaign to stop drinking and driving is an example of the latter.

However, this article will be examining the features added to cars, either through government regulation or consumer choices that have made modern cars the safest in history.

10 Windshield Wipers (1903)

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For anyone who has ever been in bad weather, windshield wipers can make the difference between being able to see what's in front of you and being blind. The windshield wiper was invented by Mary Anderson after she visited New York City. Apparently while visiting the city, it had been a snow day and the streetcar that Anderson was riding in, had to stop frequently so the driver could climb out and clean the windshield off.

Porsche in the rain
via Speedhunters

This experience convinced Anderson that a windshield wiper was necessary. Over the years, Anderson's invention would become ubiquitous on cars and other vehicles.

9 Headrest (1921)

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When you hop into a car, you may not think much about the headrest in terms of safety but it actually plays an important role. Benjamin Katz invented the headrest, which was necessary to stop whiplash in rear-end collisions. Although they were first invented in 1921, headrests did not become standard until 1968.

2015 Dodge Durango R/T with Red Radar Nappa leather seats
via: Top Speed

The first company to use cars with headrests was Volvo. When installed properly, headrests can reduce head and neck injuries by 5-10%.

8 Lamented Glass (1927)

There are likely few things more terrifying than the idea of a windshield shattering and sending thousands of glass shards at the driver and passengers. Fortunately, due to the creation of lamented glass, often referred to as safety glass, when modern cars due get into car accidents, the windshield will not shatter. By 1930, the British parliament began requiring that all new cars use lamented glass to protect occupants of cars.

By 1939, lamented glass windshield was used in Ford cars. The "spider web" crack which can appear on a windshield when a rock hits it is due to the technology of safety glass.

7 Padded Dashboards (1947)

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The dashboard plays an important role in all cars, containing the instrument panel and other equipment. Automobile dashboards were originally based on dashboards used by horse-drawn carriages. The whole purpose of a carriage dashboard was to protect the passengers from mud or debris that might be "dashed up" by the horses. However, the material that the dashboard were made of to accomplish this task were usually materials like wood or hard leather.

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In cars, a sudden collision with heavy wood dashboards could become deadly. Claire L. Straith advocated for padded dashboards during the 1930s to prevent these unnecessary injuries and deaths. By 1948, a car was produced, the Tucker Torpedo, which incorporated this essential safety feature.

RELATED: Classic Cars That Will Run Forever

6 Seat Belts (1959)

Seat Belt
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The seat belt is likely one of the better-known safety features. The purpose of a seat belt is to secure the driver and passengers in a vehicle that has come to a sudden stop. In the absence of a seat belt, the occupants of the vehicle can be thrown around inside the car or even get ejected from the car.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seat belts reduce injuries and deaths by about half. With this level of success, it is no surprise that countries often put in place laws requiring their citizens to wear seat belts. Seat belts have changed a lot since their invention, moving from only wrapping around the waist, to including the shoulders and to even adjusting themselves prior to a crash.

5 Airbags (1973)

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If the seat belt keeps occupants from being ejected from a vehicle, the airbag cushions the impact. The early airbags were not without their disadvantages, many being too powerful and actually increasing the likelihood of injury to young passengers. Fortunately, airbags have come a long way and have saved thousands of people and prevented countless injuries.

Modern cars often include multiple airbags rather than just one that inflates from the steering wheel or dashboard. Other types of airbags include side airbags (to protect the head and neck), side torso (protects the body), knee airbags, seatbelt airbags, and even motorcycle airbags. Some cars such as the Volvo V40 even have pedestrian airbags, to reduce the likelihood of serious injury to a pedestrian, if they are struck by the car.

4 Anti-Lock Braking System (1978)

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Anti-lock braking systems have become standard on almost all ground vehicles for good reason. In the absence of ABS, it is possible for the wheels to lock up during braking. Prior to ABS, drivers had to use threshold braking and cadence braking to stop their car in an emergency.

Sliding Brakes
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ABS generally offers improved vehicle control. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that motorcycles with ABS are 37% less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than motorcycles not equipped with ABS.

RELATED: 10 Cars That Were Supposed To Make Traffic A Thing Of The Past

3 Electronic Stability Control (1995)

Electronic Stability Control
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Due to the design of SUVs, some models are particularly prone to rollover accidents. These rollover accidents frequently resulted in serious injuries and deaths. Fortunately, Electronic Stability Control is a system that drastically reduces the likelihood of rollover accidents.

Electronic Stability Control
Via: teknikensvarld.se

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety found that ESC reduces fatal crashes by 43%, single-vehicle fatal crashes by 56% and fatal rollover crashes by 77-80%. With this success rate, it should be no surprise, that the ESC system is standard in almost every new car.

2 Crash Avoidance Technology (2010)

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Crash avoidance or collision avoidance systems refer to automobile safety sensors that can prevent drivers from even getting into an accident. As soon as the car detects that a driver is closing in too fast on another car or an object, the brakes can automatically be applied. These systems rely on radar and LIDAR to detect objects in front of the car.

Via: YouTube

Although collision-avoidance systems are not perfect, they are relatively new and will likely improve as the technology gets better. Not surprisingly the technology is getting adopted by a wide number of companies.

1 Driverless Cars (Future)

Autopilot
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Although automobile safety has come a long way since the first cars were built, driving still remains the most dangerous activity that most people engage in day-to-day. A lot of the safety features discussed so far can reduce the likelihood of being seriously injured or killed in an accident but an accident may still occur. However, due to advances in autonomous driving technology, cars in the future may be mostly driverless cars.

Waymo driving down road with trees in background
via Business Insider

Driverless cars aren't distracted by texting, lack of sleep, drinking, or any number of other factors. In addition, start and stop traffic will likely disappear with the widespread use of driverless cars, since traffic is largely a result of human activity.

NEXT: BMW Patent Portends The Future Of Driverless Cars