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Diffuse brain injuries are very common in side impacts, accounting for more than half of the injuries to the head. These injuries are often sustained in less severe side impacts. An English investigation has shown that diffuse brain injuries often originate from interior contacts, most frequently with the side window. They are believed to be mainly caused by quick head rotational motions. This paper describes a test method using a Hybrid III dummy head in a wire pendulum. The head impacts a simulated side window or an inflatable device, called the Inflatable Curtain (IC), in front of the window, at different speeds, and at different impact angles. The inflated IC has a thickness of around 70 mm and an internal (over) pressure of 1.5 bar. The head was instrumented with a three axis accelerometer as well as an angular velocity sensor measuring about the vertical (z) axis. The angular acceleration was calculated.

An ordinary rigid bumper system and a compliant bumper system for pedestrian protection developed by the NHTSA, US Department of Transportation, were compared in an experimental study of leg injuries in car-pedestrian accidents. Human leg specimens were struck in 20 experiments with a production car front using the two bumper types. Impacts were made with an ordinary front configuration with the bumpers at the 45 cm level and a 12.5 cm lower front configuration with the bumpers at the 32.5 cm level. The impact velocity was 30-32 km/h. Serious leg injuries were noted with both front configurations and bumper types. The compliant bumper seemed to cause less serious injuries than the rigid one, and the lower front configuration seemed to cause less serious injuries than the ordinary one. A lower bumper level than today's standard and a compliant bumper type is recommended in combination to reduce the risk of serious leg injuries in car-pedestrian accidents.

Injuries to motorcyclists lead to permanent disability more often than injuries to car occupants (10 percent versus 6 percent). The use of helmets has decreased the risk of head injuries. Other injuries leading to permanent disability are currently concentrated on the extremities (about 70 percent). Almost all are due to fractures located in joints where knees, elbows, shoulders, and ankles are the modest common spots. In a study based on 200 motorcycle accidents, it was shown the existing protective clothing had no effect on the incidence of fractures to knees, elbows, and shoulders. Based on that knowledge, a new motorcycle suit was constructed. The main goal was to find a shock-absorbing material to protect knees, elbows, and shoulders in an accident. Confor Foam, a medium-density urethane foam, was tested and found to possess relevant characteristics.

The level at which forces are transmitted from the striking vehicle in side impacts may influence the response of the struck car in several different ways. A better contact between the front bumper of the striking and the sill area of the struck car has been considered to be desirable in this respect. In side impacts, the most frequent direction of the impact is from 3 and 9 o'clock, while the direction of the forces is usually from 2 and 10 o'clock due to the velocity of the struck car. A European car and the EEVC moving deformable barrier have, therefore, been used in a crabbed mode to study the problem of load transfer at different levels above the ground. Volvo and Saab cars were used as targets in 55 km/h side impact with an APROD-81 side impact dummy placed on the struck side in the front seat. The results indicate that a difference in the level at which the loads were applied could influence the deformations, the kinematics of the struck cars, and the loading of the occupant.

Improvement of pedestrian safety is considered a priority in crash injury protection. Dummies, however, are not able to give a humanlike and repeatable impact response in pedestrian tests. The Biomechanical Laboratory of ONSER in France and the Department of Traffic Safety of Chalmers University in Götheborg, Sweden have designed a new dummy for pedestrian testing. The dummy is designed according to the latest available anthropometric and biomechanical data. Its symmetry around the vertical axis allows repeatability for the kinematic and injury parameters. It allows a measurement of uncommon biomechanical parameters related to injury mechanisms. Its leg is instrumented to determine the distribution of forces and momenta applied to the leg.