What was regular fifty years in the past would get you arrested in the present day. The actions that outlined the Nineteen Seventies now appear shockingly reckless and irresponsible. Youngsters roamed neighborhoods unsupervised for hours whereas hitchhiking was a standard journey methodology. Meals contained thriller components with no dietary labels whereas smoking occurred all over the place.
The shift towards security remodeled our complete society.
16. Smoking on Airplanes
Airplane cabins as soon as doubled as flying smoke chambers. These little armrest ashtrays weren’t ornamental—they have been practical requirements on each flight. Passengers chain-smoked at 30,000 ft, usually puffing away on duty-free cigarettes purchased onboard.
The laughable “smoking part” idea did completely nothing to guard non-smokers. Your complete cabin full of a thick haze that caught to every thing. Flight attendants labored 8-hour shifts in these poisonous tubes and have become key advocates for change. Restrictions started in 1988, with a whole ban on US flights by 2000. The worldwide pattern adopted, and in-flight smoking joined the dustbin of harmful previous behaviors—bettering air high quality and reducing fireplace dangers in pressurized cabins.
15. No Seat Belts in Automobiles
Would you drive a automobile with no security restraints? Classic fashions from the 60s and early 70s usually got here with none seat belts in any respect. Model trumped survival, and producers knew it.
Some vehicles featured pathetic lap belts with out shoulder straps which may hold you from flying by the windshield—perhaps. These early designs have been so clunky and uncomfortable that most individuals ignored them anyway. Preliminary resistance centered on consolation and “private freedom,” however the security advantages finally received out. This period additionally noticed varied risky car features that have been finally phased out because of security considerations. By 2019, seat belt use reached 90.7% within the US, and the info reveals a dramatic discount in visitors deaths. Trendy legal guidelines pressure you to buckle up, prefer it or not.
14. Garden Darts
Lethal projectiles marketed as household enjoyable—that’s what garden darts have been. Basically foot-long metallic missiles with plastic fins, these harmful toys turned customary gear at household BBQs. Gamers tossed these weighted spears towards metallic rings on the bottom whereas everybody else stood round like human bullseyes.
Producers marketed them as informal yard video games with no security warnings. After critical head and eye accidents piled up, the CPSC demanded a voluntary gross sales stoppage in 1987. When that didn’t work, they absolutely banned garden darts in 1988. The whole ban on sale and possession ended one of many extra apparent “what have been we considering?” moments of client safety. At the moment, solely soft-tipped variations survive.
13. Lead-Primarily based Paints
Pre-1978 houses got here with a harmful secret. Over 70% of homes constructed earlier than then obtained slathered in lead paint. Contractors liked the stuff for its vibrant colours, washable surfaces, and moisture resistance. No person appeared involved that it coated every thing from inside partitions to youngsters’ toys.
The poisonous fact finally surfaced as analysis linked lead publicity to extreme developmental points and studying disabilities. Lead deteriorates over time, creating poisonous mud that kids inhale or ingest. The federal government lastly banned client use in 1978, however the harm was achieved. Hundreds of thousands of houses nonetheless comprise this poisonous legacy, with ongoing remediation efforts requiring specialised removing methods. The EPA and CDC proceed monitoring lead publicity, particularly in kids.
12. Asbestos in Constructing Supplies
As soon as hailed as a “miracle mineral,” asbestos appeared good—it wouldn’t burn, insulated properly, and lasted ceaselessly. Building firms stuffed it all over the place: insulation, flooring, roofing, and fireproofing supplies from the Nineteen Forties by the Nineteen Seventies.
The reality finally emerged when folks began dying—from lung most cancers, mesothelioma, and different respiratory ailments. The kicker? The well being results usually took 20-50 years to seem. The EPA banned new makes use of of asbestos in 1989, creating huge authorized liabilities for producers and employers. Eradicating these items now requires hazmat fits and specialised gear. A whole business exists simply to soundly extract what builders as soon as put in with naked arms.
11. Unregulated Promoting to Youngsters
The 70s noticed cartoon characters promoting sugar bombs to youngsters throughout Saturday morning programming. With virtually zero oversight, toy commercials bombarded kids throughout their favourite reveals. Celebrities pushed merchandise to youngsters who couldn’t distinguish leisure from advertising and marketing.
These ways labored brilliantly—creating model loyalty from a younger age and driving enormous gross sales for toy and meals firms. Mother and father fought an uphill battle in opposition to company America’s direct pipeline to their youngsters’ brains. Rising criticism lastly led to the Youngsters’s Tv Act of 1990, which restricted promoting throughout youngsters’ programming. At the moment’s laws pressure extra moral practices, although the battle continues in digital areas the place advertising and marketing has turn into extra refined by product placement.
10. No Automobile Seats for Youngsters
Security for youths in transferring automobiles? Barely an idea within the early 70s. Infants sat on laps, toddlers stood on seats, and everybody bounced round freely. Some rudimentary automobile seats existed however weren’t necessary and had no security testing or requirements.
The results have been predictable. Even minor fender benders induced main accidents as kids turned projectiles or obtained crushed by the adults “defending” them. Tennessee handed the primary youngster passenger security regulation in 1978, with different states slowly following go well with. At the moment, all 50 states have necessary automobile seat legal guidelines, saving numerous lives. Trendy youngster restraint techniques are available age-specific designs, although dad and mom nonetheless battle with correct set up. The times of youngsters browsing the station wagon’s again window are fortunately gone.
9. Lax Drunk Driving Legal guidelines
Again then, getting wasted and driving dwelling got here customary with an evening out. Enforcement within the 70s remained pathetic, with no standardized sobriety exams and laughable penalties. The authorized BAC restrict hovered round 0.15%—primarily permitting drivers to be fall-down drunk with minimal penalties.
Highway deaths piled up till advocacy teams like Moms In opposition to Drunk Driving pushed for change within the Nineteen Eighties. The nationwide minimal ingesting age hit 21 in 1984, and by 2004, all states had adopted the 0.08% BAC restrict. Present legal guidelines embody critical penalties like license suspension, hefty fines, and jail time. The outcomes converse for themselves—a major drop in alcohol-related visitors fatalities. What was as soon as socially acceptable turned a critical crime.
8. Smoking in Public Locations
Bear in mind when cigarette smoke hung within the air nearly all over the place? Eating places, hospitals, faculties, even elevators turned smoke-filled zones. Cigarette merchandising machines stood in public locations, able to dispense to anybody with cash. Non-smokers merely needed to cope with it.
Past simply being disagreeable, secondhand smoke created critical well being hazards for employees caught in smoke-filled environments all day. Fireplace dangers elevated in public buildings. Well being consciousness campaigns finally tilted public opinion by the 80s and 90s. By 2010, most US states had complete indoor smoking bans. Many banned advertisements from the previous additionally replicate how public well being perceptions have dramatically advanced over the many years. Strict non-smoking guidelines now exist in lots of public areas. These guidelines shield the general public and promote more healthy.
7. Corporal Punishment in Faculties
The picket paddle meant enterprise in lots of 70s school rooms. Academics and principals bodily punished college students for varied infractions with full authorized safety and parental approval. Hitting youngsters was thought of character-building and an efficient deterrent for unhealthy habits.
Analysis finally revealed the apply was not simply merciless however counterproductive—it didn’t enhance habits or tutorial efficiency. Worse, it disproportionately focused minority and disabled college students. The psychological harm turned not possible to disregard. At the moment, 31 states have banned corporal punishment in faculties, with the remaining states nonetheless debating the difficulty. The shift towards constructive behavioral interventions displays our evolution from “spare the rod, spoil the kid” considering, although the apply persists in some areas.
6. No Helmet Legal guidelines for Bicycling
Biking headgear? A uncommon sight within the 70s. Over 70% of cyclists rode with nothing defending their skulls however hair and hope. Even should you needed a helmet, you’d have hassle discovering one—and there have been no security requirements for design or manufacturing anyway.
The results have been predictable: head accidents have been widespread, with even minor spills inflicting concussions or worse. Analysis finally proved what appears apparent now—defending your mind throughout crashes reduces damage danger by 85%. Rising security consciousness within the 70s and 80s led to helmet requirements and gradual adoption. At the moment, 21 states plus D.C. have bicycle helmet legal guidelines, primarily for youngsters. The talk continues for adults, with some nonetheless refusing helmets for consolation or aesthetic causes, creating stress between private freedom and public well being considerations.
5. Unsafe Playgrounds
Playgrounds designed with hazard as a function, not a bug. Metallic slides that scorched pores and skin in summer time. Concrete surfaces ready under towering jungle gyms. Rusty seesaws that doubled as catapults when one child jumped off. No age-appropriate areas, zero supervision necessities, and gear designed and not using a single security consideration. Scraped knees and damaged arms have been childhood rites of passage.
The low-cost, minimal upkeep method got here with a excessive worth—critical accidents from falls and gear failures. Security advocates finally pushed for change. Trendy playgrounds function impact-absorbing rubber surfaces, rounded plastic gear, and cautious designs to forestall falls. The Client Product Security Fee created complete requirements, and common inspections turned necessary. At the moment’s playgrounds even take into account accessibility for youngsters with disabilities. Some argue we’ve sacrificed adventurous play for safety, however the days of the skull-cracking metallic merry-go-round have fortunately ended.
4. Open Alcohol Containers in Public
Public ingesting as soon as carried none of in the present day’s authorized baggage. Cracking beers within the park or sipping cocktails on the seaside occurred with out concern. Even automobile passengers might legally drink whereas the motive force (hopefully) stayed sober. Native laws different wildly, with minimal enforcement wherever.
The liberty got here with prices—elevated public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and issues in implementing different alcohol legal guidelines. Rising dysfunction and crime charges led to open container bans beginning within the 70s. At the moment, 43 states have some type of open container regulation, with penalties starting from tickets to arrests. Most particularly prohibit open alcohol in automobiles. The shift aimed to scale back public drunkenness and associated disturbances, although enforcement nonetheless varies extensively by location. Public occasions now usually have designated ingesting areas as a substitute of free-for-all boozing.
3. Unsafe Fireworks
Explosive leisure arrived with few restrictions. Highly effective fireworks bought to anybody with money and a lighter. No age restrictions, security laws, or high quality management existed for these explosives masquerading as toys. M-80s, cherry bombs, and different harmful units have been customary July 4th gear. Accidents and lacking fingers turned vacation traditions.
The results have been predictable—extreme burns, eye harm, and damaging fires. The danger got here not simply from misuse however from manufacturing defects in unregulated merchandise. Rising security considerations led to federal laws on manufacturing and labeling, whereas many states and localities banned or severely restricted client fireworks.
At the moment, age necessities and product security requirements management what the general public can purchase. Skilled shows have largely changed yard pyrotechnics in lots of areas. Safer alternate options like sparklers and smoke bombs give the fun with out the hazard, although even these trigger accidents when misused. The steadiness between custom and security continues to evolve.
2. No Dietary Labeling on Meals Merchandise
Meals packaging instructed you nothing about what you have been consuming. No calorie counts, no ingredient lists, no allergen warnings, no nutritional information in any way. Producers might make wild well being claims with zero oversight. Shoppers made fully blind selections about what they put of their our bodies.
The shift started with rising client demand for data within the 60s and 70s. Some producers began voluntary labeling earlier than laws hit. The true change got here with the Diet Labeling and Schooling Act of 1990, which mandated standardized Diet Information panels on most packaged meals.
1. Aerosol Sprays with CFCs
From lavatory cupboards to kitchen drawers, aerosols dominated family storage. Hairspray, deodorant, air fresheners—all got here in cans filled with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). From the Fifties by the Nineteen Seventies, everybody used these merchandise each day with out realizing the environmental disaster they have been inflicting. Producers liked CFCs for being steady, non-toxic, and non-flammable propellants that created constant sprays.
Then scientists found these “good” chemical substances have been destroying the ozone layer, rising harmful UV radiation reaching Earth. The environmental impression was extreme and long-lasting as a result of chemical stability that made CFCs so helpful. Some producers voluntarily phased them out within the late 70s, however the decisive motion got here with the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which banned CFC manufacturing globally.
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