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Studies of the effectiveness of safety belts were carried out under various directions of crashes, including dynamic sled investigations, destructive barrier tests, and impact tests. The studies showed that three-point belts were effective in frontal impact from 0-30 deg, but that their effectiveness diminished after 45 deg because the belt slips off the chest. The three-point belt did not provide protection for the knees. The studies also pointed out that the anchorage system of the belt is a very important factor in its effectiveness.

In the United States as well as in Europe standard test procedures for car occupants protection in side impact accidents are discussed. These procedures correspond to a new approach for side impact protection; both are based on full scale test, but with different parameters for its definition. A test procedure is necessarely a compromise between a fidelic representation of accidents and simplicity for a good repeatability. As the application of a procedure would improve the protection offered to car occupants in real accidents, it seems important to evaluate the benefits which could be expected from its use by comparison of the procedure parameters with the description of the accidents.