September 9, 1966
After whipping the motoring public to a froth with Unsafe at Any Speed, his best-selling condemnation of American automakers' callous disregard for occupant protection (particularly General Motors and its newly notorious Chevrolet Corvair), Ralph Nader (pictured) celebrated a significant victory today, as President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. The law, enacted in response to a startling rise in motor vehicle fatalities, called for the creation of the National Highway Safety Bureau, later renamed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which was given authority to mandate and oversee safety guidelines for American roadways and production vehicles, including the standardization of seatbelts, headrests, shatter-resistant glass, and collapsible steering columns.
Upon signing the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Jonhson commented to the crowd of some 200 (including an ebullient Nader) that automotive safety was "no luxury item, no optional extra." Front seatbelts were still extra-cost options on a good many 1967 cars, and even where they were standard—on Cadillac models, for instance—buyers could opt for a seatbelt-delete credit (a whopping $17 for the Caddy).
Photo courtesy of The Detroit News.
