Do cars built before 1978 have seat belts?
No, cars built before 1978 generally did not have seat belts as standard equipment. Seat belt requirements were not mandated in the United States until the late 1960s, and it took several more years for them to become a universal feature in all new vehicles.
The History of Seat Belt Requirements in the United States
Prior to the 1960s, seat belts were not a common feature in most passenger vehicles. It wasn't until 1968 that the U.S. federal government passed a law requiring all new cars to be equipped with seat belts. However, this law only mandated the installation of seat belts; it did not require drivers and passengers to actually use them.
It wasn't until 1984 that the first mandatory seat belt use law was enacted in New York. This set off a wave of similar laws being passed in other states over the following years. By 1995, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had enacted some form of mandatory seat belt use law.
Seat Belts in Older Vehicles
For vehicles manufactured before the late 1960s, seat belts were typically not included as standard equipment. Some car owners may have had aftermarket seat belts installed, but this was not a universal practice.
It wasn't until the 1970s that seat belts became a more common feature in new vehicles. The 1978 model year is often cited as the point where seat belts became ubiquitous, as that was the year the U.S. government mandated their inclusion in all new passenger cars.
So in summary, cars built before 1978 generally did not come equipped with seat belts from the factory. Owners of these older vehicles would have had to install seat belts themselves if they wanted that safety feature.
