A motor vehicle accessory that is standard and taken for granted today was made compulsory 54 years ago, reported The Canberra Times.
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The compulsory fitting of seat belts in new motor vehicles was decided by a meeting of Commonwealth and state ministers of transport.
The panel of experts recommended that safety belts and anchorages be mandatory for all seating positions in new motor vehicles.
The minister in charge of the ministerial car fleet, Mr Gordon Freeth, said there was no way governments could police the wearing of safety belts.
He said it was up to the public to recognise the safety necessity for wearing the belts, once they were a compulsory fitting.
The minister also decided to adopt, in principle, a recommendation for reversing lights, draft regulations to specify minimum requirements for door locks, sun visors to be designed and located to reduce head injuries, and the fitting of external rear vision mirrors.
Consideration would also be given to specify the minimum static and inertial load requirements for side door latches and hinges, and the mode of operation of door latches, to minimise the risk of accidental opening.
