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Based upon nine years of experience in conducting in-depth, clinical motor vehicle accident investigations, the conditions and practices that have been found to be essential to the collection of reliable and adequate information are defined. The role of the director and the selection of personnel for the investigation teams and their qualifications, training, and supervision are discussed. The establishment and maintenance of relationships with the civil authorities, and hospitals and para-medical personnel with which the accident investigation teams must work, are explained. Examples from actual experience are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the authors' accident investigation information in identifying areas where vehicle design improvement is desirable and evidence that corrective action taken by the vehicle manufacturers has proved effective.

This report presents nineeen cases of detailed field accident investigations of Toyota Cressida crashes wherein the automatic shoulder belt was worn. Specifics of the accidents and the injuries sustained by the passively restrained occupants are detailed.

The side impact, recently and currently the subject to of much debate, controversy and proposed NHTSA rule making, is a difficult type of crash to significantly reduce serious injuries and fatalites. Results from real-world crash investigations presents a confusing picture for the near-side passenger compartment crash. A direct relationship between the amount of crush and injury severity levels (MAIS) is not apparent. Exemplar cases of tow-a-way/injury crashes are presented at all AIS injury level of drivers in crashes with direct driver door crush damage.