In a recent issue of Vintage Racecar, there was a guide to safety gear that reminded me how it came about in Europe. America was more conscious of safety than we were, though I am not sure that the simple seat strap, as you get on airliners, is that good an idea. It has a psychological effect, it makes you feel safe, but I would not want to examine your insides after a heavy shunt.
The first British maker to fit seat belts as standard on racing cars was Arnott in 1951 on its 500-cc cars. Arnott was also the first maker of racing cars to use glassfiber bodies, I think. Daphne Arnott remains the only woman to have entered a car in a World Championship race, and Arnott ran at Le Mans in 1957.
