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In August, 1995, the federal government enacted legislation (amendments to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 201, “Occupant Protection in Interior Impact”) which is designed to improve occupant safety by reducing head and neck injuries received during impacts with the automobile interior. This legislation is significant in that all automobiles, trucks, buses and multipurpose passenger vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4535 kg (10,000 lb) or less must meet the new federal standard after the 2002 model year. The testing of potential countermeasures to this legislation (e.g., padding materials and component designs) is key towards developing materials which meet the requirements. As a result, modifications have been made to an in-house dynamic sled impact tester enabling head-impact testing to be performed. This ability allows for the coordinated development, testing and screening of energy-absorbing (EA) polyurethane foams for head-impact protection.

Federal legislation mandates that automotive OEMS provide occupant protection in collisions involving front and side impacts This legislation, which is to be phased-in over several years, covers not only passenger cars but also light-duty trucks and multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPVs) having a gross vehicle weigh rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lb (3,850 kg) or less. During a frontal impact, occupants within the vehicle undergo rapid changes in velocity. This is primarily due to rapid vehicle deceleration caused by the rigid nature of the vehicle's metal frame components and body assembly. Many of today's vehicles incorporate deformable, energy-absorbing (EA) structures within the vehicle structure to manage the collision energy and slow the deceleration which in turn can lower the occupant velocity relative to the vehicle. Occupant velocities can be higher in light-duty trucks and MPVs having a full-frame structure resulting in increased demands on the supplemental restraint system (SRS).