Vienna 1925: Inventor Tests First Pedestrian Safety Net

In 1925 Vienna, Jakob Singer demonstrated a solution to a problem that was terrifying cities worldwide: cars hitting pedestrians. His invention was simple but revolutionary for its time.

Singer mounted a network of India rubber ropes across the front of a motor car, creating a net as wide as the vehicle itself. The goal was to catch anyone who stepped into the car's path before they could be struck by the hard metal frame.

Police regulations prohibited testing the device on actual people at first. So Singer crafted a 120-pound wooden dummy with movable limbs, weighted with iron to simulate a real person.

The dummy tests worked perfectly. The net caught the figure without fail, proving the basic concept sound.

Then something remarkable happened. A workman volunteered to test the device himself, allowing Singer to run the car directly at him.

The net caught him safely. This brave volunteer became one of the first people in history to deliberately get "hit" by a car and walk away unharmed.

Why This Inspires

Singer's invention shows how people tackled emerging technology challenges with creativity and courage a hundred years ago. While his rubber net design didn't become the industry standard, it represented early thinking about vehicle safety that eventually led to modern bumpers, collision detection systems, and pedestrian protection zones.

The workman's willingness to test the device himself also speaks to the collaborative spirit of early innovation. Progress often required people willing to take calculated risks to prove new ideas could save lives.

Today's autonomous vehicles and advanced safety systems owe a debt to pioneers like Singer who asked a simple question: how can we make this new technology safer for everyone?