Not sure, but Volvo likes to talk a lot about how they invented a lot of safety improvements and implemented things first.  I believe they invented the 3-point harness, as well as the whiplash protection system.<p>Usually, it seems like things get invented by someone else first and sold to safety-minded consumers and then mandated by the government when they realize what a great idea it is.  The rearview camera is a good example of this: lots of cars have them to improve visibility, and there&#x27;s lots of data showing how many kids and pets get backed over every year, so the US government has mandated that all new cars have them by 2018.  My new car has one, and honestly, I&#x27;m not sure how I ever got along without it now.  Aside from kids, it makes backing up so much easier it&#x27;s ridiculous; I can easily back into very tiny spaces leaving 12 inches of space behind my rear bumper, something I could never do with my previous smaller cars.  That makes it easier to do parallel parking for instance.