The recent refinement of high‐rate optical tracking allows dramatically detailed thoracic deformation measurements to be taken during PMHS sled tests. These data allows analysis of restraint belt geometry and the three‐dimensional thoracic deformations generated by belt impingement. One consequence of this new capability is a better understanding of complementary thoracic characterization experiments such as table‐top tests and how the thoracic response can be interpreted for applications involving more complex loading mechanisms. This paper reports a detailed evaluation of the timing, magnitude, and direction of the applied belt forces, and the resulting thoracic deformations in two previously performed tests series involving frontal sled tests and table‐top belt‐loading tests. In the sled tests, the posteriorly directed component (SAE‐x) of the belt tension (F_B) is F_Bx = 0.70 F_B at the shoulder, but only F_Bx = 0.14 F_B where the belt engages the anterolateral torso inferiorly. The corresponding components on the table top are F_Bx = 0.60 F_B (shoulder) and F_Bx = 0.48 F_B (lower). When these components are cross‐plotted with chest deflection, pronounced consequences of thoracic anterior wall deformation patterns due to flexion of the thoracic spine and the internal viscera’s inertia can be seen in the effective thoracic stiffness.