in 1952, john o. moore at the cornell aeronautical laboratory began the automotive crash injury research project. (in 1972, the lab was separated from the university as calspan corporation.) it pioneered the use of crash testing, originally using corpses rather than dummies. the project discovered that improved door locks, energy-absorbing steering wheels, padded dashboards, and seat belts could prevent an extraordinary percentage of injuries. the project led liberty mutual to fund the building of a demonstration cornell safety car in 1956, which received national publicity and influenced carmakers. carmakers soon started their own crash-test laboratories and gradually adopted many of the cornell innovations. other ideas, such as rear-facing passenger seats, were less popular.