The International Harmonized Research Activities (IHRA) Side Impact Working Group is proposing a 15-degree oblique pole test as part of a comprehensive side impact evaluation protocol. Since collision data from around the world indicate that young males are overrepresented in single vehicle collisions into fixed objects (women tend to be over-represented in vehicle-to-vehicle crashes), a side impact anthropometric test device representative of a 50th percentile adult male is believed to be the most appropriate dummy size to evaluate the protective capabilities of vehicles subjected to pole impacts.

In support of the IHRA Side Impact working Group activities, Transport Canada conducted a series of paired vehicle tests to compare the responses of WorldSID in 15-degree oblique pole tests to those observed in a perpendicular pole test. Vehicles included small North American vehicles equipped with head-thorax seat mounted side airbags and mid-size and SUVs equipped with both seat mounted thorax airbags and curtain technology.

While the oblique test configuration tended to result in more elevated responses a number of test parameters including side airbag deployments, dummy arm kinematics and dummy position were found to significantly affect dummy responses. WorldSID performance and thoracic measurement sensitivity in the oblique loading environment observed in the 15-degree pole test are discussed and compared to that of the ES-2re.