Miss Unsafe Brakes, 1939, appeared at the Chicago Auto Show dressed in a skeleton costume, to drive home the importance of brake safety. Since then, automakers have added safety features such as seat belts, headrests and shatter-resistant windshields.
In 1939, 30,895 people were killed in the US on the roads. In 2012, 33,561 were killed. But, when you consider that Americans drove 10 time the miles than 1939, it is an amazing reduction.