The single most effective automotive safety component that has been proven to save lives during a crash is a properly fitted seat belt. Transport Canada introduced the concept of assessing seatbelt fit for occupants in the early seventies. A Beltfit Test Device (BTD) was then developed to measure and assess this fit. Research was sponsored by Transport Canada to quantify the proper limits of certain scales on the device that are considered to represent proper beltfit.

To overcome the deviations of hardware tests and to allow evaluations of belt designs early in design phases, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers supported the development of a computer modeling and simulation approach, also known as the electronic Belt Fit Test Device (eBTD), through a Technical Working Group (TWG). That group includes representatives from the automobile manufacturers, Transport Canada and the software developer. The development takes place in close co-operation with the Joint Working Group – Abdominal Injury Reduction (JWG-AIR).

The computer model can be used at the design stage to assess the beltfit criteria developed using the BTD. This model can not only be used as a basis for verifying seat beltfit after the vehicle has been built, but can also be used as an effective design tool for restraint systems.

Recently, the development within the TWG has led to the signing of a Belt Fit Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Transport Canada and various automobile manufacturers. This MOU represents the first collaborative effort between a government agency, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and a software company, Human Solutions Inc., to develop an application that evaluates a safety concept, based on computer modeling and simulation in place of a physical measuring device. This paper describes this effort and highlights the results.