Image via Wikimedia Commons

Yesterday marked 157 years since the first recorded motor vehicle fatality in history.

Mary Ward, of Ireland, was a prolific scholar and a mother of eight. She was the first woman to author a book about microscopy and was inducted into the Royal Astronomical Society. Then, in an instant, her life was cut short.

August 31st, 1869, began as a typical day. Mary was visiting her cousin William Parsons and his two teenage sons, Richard and Charles, with whom she shared a mutual passion for science. Richard and Charles had built an experimental steam-powered car. Steam cars were already going out of style, held back by legislation that limited their practical application. The Parsons, however, were engineering enthusiasts and were undeterred. Charles, in fact, would go on to design and invent many steam turbine machines. The boys took Mary, her husband, and their tutor on a ride in the car. Mary was perched on the corner of a raised seat. The driver took a sharp turn, and the jolt threw Mary from the vehicle and into the road. The vehicle was quickly stopped, but she had fallen under its heavy metal wheels, where she sustained fatal injuries to her head and neck.

Although she was quickly attended to by a doctor, Mary died almost instantly from her injuries. Her death was written as a “road death” - the first ever recorded.

It was rumored that her family destroyed the car after the accident, but vehicle progress did not stop. Thirty years later, Henry Bliss would become the first American killed in a motor vehicle accident after he was hit by an electric taxi.

Image via Culture Now Museum

Thankfully, as automotive vehicles became more ubiquitous, their safety features vastly improved. If the Parsons had put seat belts in their car Mary may not have died that day, but they would not become a fixture of vehicle design for another 15 years.

On the anniversary of Mary’s death, we are grateful for how far driving safety has come. We also recognize the countless people who have been killed in collisions throughout history, and the ever-increasing number of fatalities still plaguing our roads today. As roads become more crowded, risk multiplies. It is up to each individual to make safe choices every time they’re behind the wheel.

Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140116122125/http://www.offalyhistory.com/reading-resources/history/famous-offaly-people/mary-ward-1827-1869

https://www.rsa.ie/road-safety/campaigns/vision-zero-mary-ward

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ward_(scientist)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Henry_H._Bliss