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For more than 20 years, field research and laboratory testing has consistently demonstrated that wearing a seat belt dramatically reduces the risk of occupant death or serious injury in motor vehicle crashes [1, 2]. The injury prevention benefits of seat belts require that they remain fastened during collisions. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards set forth seat belt buckle performance requirements to address buckle performance in accident conditions. However, several theories of buckle release or separation exist including: false latch, inadvertent release, and inertial release. Forensic investigations of vehicle crashes would benefit with diagnostic criteria which could distinguish between a buckle separation, a properly restrained occupant, and an unused or stowed seat belt. In the unlikely event of buckle separation, entanglement with the webbing would be expected if the occupant moves substantially as a result of the crash forces.