The Automatic Cushion Restraint (A.C.R.), a passive system, consists of a cushion or pad, 70 square inches in area, held in light contact with the chest, and a knee restraint. In normal travel the occupant of a vehicle is free to lean forward, but in an emergency the arm carrying the cushion is locked to thc floor, and in a frontal impact exerts a predetermined force to bring the occupant safely to rest.

The A.C.R. system can be applied to private cars and is particularly suited to delivery vehicles and the like, where drivers have to enter and leave frequently. For this reason, the United Kingdom Transport and Road Research Laboratory is to organise and supervise trials, which will include 30 mi/h impact tests and user studies under service conditions, on A.C.R. units fitted to Post Office vans. This study is to be carried out in cooperation with the Post Office, the Post Office Management Staff Association, the Union of Postal Workers, and the Post Office Engineering Union.

This paper describes the latest A.C.R. designs, the work already done to assess its performance in accidents and its convenience in use, and the evaluation to be carried out by the Transport and Road Research Laboratory.