Occupant protection from lateral impacts is a matter of some concern in Europe and the United States.

We believe that occupant protection of this nature cannot be achieved unless such major factors as the stiffness of the striking car's front end, the rigidity of the body side, floor, seat structure and mountings of the struck car, and the energy-absorbing characteristics of materials used in the passenger compartment are considered.

This paper discusses the relationship between the extent of body side deformation of different vehicle structures and the injury levels of dummies in tests that were conducted with current models. Also discussed are the effects of the stiffhess and configuration of the striking car's front end on the amount of damage sustained by the struck car and the injuries sustained by the occupants. The relationship between tests conducted with both cars moving and tests with the struck car stationary is also noted.