In a large majority of frontal offset crash tests, the shoulder belt for the driver seat is observed to slip into the gap between the neck and shoulder of the THOR anthropometric test device (ATD) and remain entrapped. The purpose of the study is to investigate and quantify the effect of shoulder‐belt slip with entrapment on the kinetic and kinematic responses of the THOR in near‐side oblique and full frontal crash test configurations.

The THOR ATD was installed, as per the THOR positioning procedure, in the driver seat of vehicles undergoing moving car‐to‐moving car frontal 40% offset crash tests (n=45) and full frontal rigid barrier tests (n=13). Three additional tests were conducted on a purpose‐built sled buck at 33 km/h to corroborate in‐vehicle findings and quantify forward excursion. Belt slip and entrapment were confirmed with high speed video images. Belt entrapment was associated with greater peak fore‐aft and lateral shear at the lower neck, reduced fore‐aft loads at the inboard and outboard left clavicle, and reduced fore‐aft chest deflections in the upper left and lower right quadrants. Overlay of sled videos shows an increased head excursion. Findings may have implications for oblique test configurations used in New Car Assessment Programs.