In March 1997, the National Highway TrafEc Safety Administration (NHTSA) temporarily amended Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 to allow manufacturersm oref lexibility in the useo f less aggressive air bags. Beginning with the 1998 model year (MY), most vehicles produced for sale in the US market were equipped with these redesigned frontal air bags. This paper investigatesh ow the safety ratings as developedin the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) were affected by the introduction of these air bags.

Results from thirty-three My 1998 vehicles crash tested for frontal NCAP were compared with the same make and models vehicles that were previously tested in NCAP. The only differences between the MY 1998 vehicles and the earlier vehicles are the redesigned air bags and other restraint system changes (i. e. , safety belt or steering assembly modifications). The head injury criteria @IQ chesta ccelerations(c hestG ’s), combinedinjuryp robability, and NCAP star ratings are examined for the driver and right front passenger.T he neck responseso f the driver and n rht front passenger between two model years also are e ;​ nnned relative to the new neck requirements that were included in the March 1997 amendment to FMVSS No. 208.

The average HIC values were lower for the MY 1998 vehicles. The lower average was primarily due to reductions in HICs that occurred in light truck and vans. Average chest G values were found to be nearly the same for the MY 1998 vehicles, as a group, when compared to the earlier models. Average neck loads were found to be approximately the same except for neck extension. The neck extension moments for the newer air bag vehicles were lower.