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This study is aimed at developing requirements for certification criteria and verification techniques for side facing aircraft seats. Presently flying side facing seats were inspected and analyzed. Results from automotive safety research were used and transferred to aircraft. For lateral strain direction, on the one hand human tolerance, and on the other hand injury criteria such as head, cervical column, thoracic/lumbar column, thorax, pelvis as well as upper and lower extremities were compiled from literature. The particularities of side facing seats were inspected with two dynamic tests, and proposals made for the requirements of certification criteria and verification techniques.

To assess the effectiveness of protective clothing, in particular of crash helmets, a nine-month accident field study was carried out, which covered non-minor injured helmeted and unhelmeted motorcyclists. Crash Helmets were found to reduce the number of non-minor injured riders at least 82% of the figure for unhelmeted riders. Depending on the motorcycle class, the type and locality of the accident, the risk abatement varies from 82% to 94%. The average head injury risk abatement for helmeted riders of standard motorcycles is about 94% when moderate and more severe head injuries are included, and 97% for severe, serious and fatal head injuries. With respect to accidents in which unhelmeted riders suffer non-minor injuries, crash helmets reduce the risk of suffering skull fractures, fractures and dislocations of the atlanto-occipital joint and cervical vertebrae by 97% to 98%, moderate cranial brain injuries by 84%, and more severe cranial brain injuries by 97%.