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This study provides a preliminary investigation of occupant kinematics for rear seat occupants involved in high-severity rear impacts. The effect of a seatbelts equipped with or without a pyrotechnic pretensioner on restraining the rear seat adult occupant was evaluated. Further, the study examined the result of the occupant's seating alignment by comparing a Nominal Seating Position (NSP) to an occupant whose torso would be rotated forward to be placed in a Moderately Displaced Position (MDP) prior to impact. A series of eight sled tests were performed using a deceleration sled subjected to a delta-V of 30 mph. Instrumented HIII 50th and 5th ATDs were positioned in the outboard, rear seating positions. The study found that pretensioners had little effect on the occupant kinematics of rear seat occupants in either the NSP or the MDP. But, there were marked differences in kinematic evaluations between the occupant seating alignment configurations.

This study was conducted to explore the effect of various combinations of seatbelt-related safety components (namely, retractor pretensioners and load limiting retractors) on the adult rear passenger involved in a frontal collision. The study was conducted on a 50th Male and a 5th Female Hybrid III ATD in the rear seat of a mid-sized sedan. Each ATD was seated in an outboard position with 3-point continuous lap-shoulder belts. On these belts were combinations of pretensioners and load limiters. Since the main objective of this test series was to cross-compare the seatbelt configurations, front seats were not included in the buck in order to avoid uncontrollable variables that would have affected the comparison study if the possibility of contact with the front seat were allowed. Nevertheless, there was a short barrier devised to act as a foot-stop for both ATDs.

The rear seat occupant has been the subject of an increasing number of research efforts in recent years. However, the majority of the research has focused on frontal impact, while there are also a number of studies concerned with low to moderate delta-V rear impact. Very limited work exists regarding the fate of the rear seat occupant involved in high-severity rear impact, especially when utilizing the BioRID anthropomorphic test device (ATD). Furthermore, it is evident that the out of position rear occupant, as defined by leaning forward prior to rear impact, is also of relevance to this line of research. The objective of this study is to explore and compare the response of BioRID and 50 th percentile Hybrid III in conjunction with the effects of head restraint geometry and the occupant seating configuration (normal seating versus forward leaning) in high-severity rear impact tests.