The risk of being injured in side impact crashes is very high. Accident statistics show that numbers of vehicle occupants severely injured or killed of non-struck side occupants is approximately 30 percent. Based on accident data from the National Automotive Sampling System/Crash Data Study (NASS/CDS) an investigation concerning injuries and their levels of non-struck side occupants in side impact crashes was carried out. From the accident data, covering the years from 1998 to 2007, the injured body parts, their injury levels and the vehicle parts causing these injuries were analysed. The study showed that hard contacts between the occupants and the rigid vehicle parts cause most severe injuries. As a result of the accident analysis an occupant protection concept for non-struck side occupants on vehicle rear seat was designed. A numerical simulation model representing a non-struck side occupant, its vehicle environment and the airbag based protection system was set up to investigate different parameters, such as airbag shape and position, different dummy types and seating positions. Prototypes of the airbag concept were built and validated in sled tests. The study showed that this occupant protection concept is able to reduce the severity of head and chest injuries of non-struck side occupants in side impact accidents. Furthermore, a positive effect on the interaction between rear seated occupants in side impact crashes was observed.