Mary Anderson invented the windshield wipers in 1903. While Anderson was a passenger on a streetcar in New York, she observed the driver periodically stopping to wipe the windows, and on some occasions opening the window to see. Anderson saw a need to create a device for cleaning the windshield to improve driver vision during stormy weather. By 1916, windshield wipers were a standard feature on all American cars. Today almost all motor vehicles, including trains, aircraft and watercraft are equipped with windshield wipers, and are usually a legal requirement. I’m not sure if Anderson considered safety as a means for creating the windshield wipers but by doing so she controlled a hazard and achieved an acceptable level of risk. Following the windshield wiper other forms of safety became standard in cars such as the seat belt, airbag and car seat.
