The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has been evaluating side impact protection since 1997. The original side impact test procedure utilised the EuroSID anthropometric test device (ATD) and Multi 2000 barrier face. In the year 2000, the side impact assessment was expanded to incorporate the perpendicular pole impact test. Both procedures were upgraded in 2003 to use the ES-2 ATD and Advanced 2000 barrier face in the side barrier impact. The most recent update to the side impact test procedures saw the adoption of the WorldSID 50 th male ATD and the Advanced European Mobile Deformable Barrier face (AE-MDB) along with the oblique pole impact in 2015. To date, the adult side impact assessments have focussed on struck-side impact protection with the use of a driver dummy only and two child occupants in the rear.

A number of European research projects have interrogated accident databases to establish the nature and magnitude of the risks to far-side occupants. In 2015, the Euro NCAP Board of Directors agreed that the level of side impact protection offered to drivers and front seat passengers should be improved and the Euro NCAP Side Impact Working Group (SIWG) was tasked with addressing far-side occupant protection. The group was asked to draft an updated far-side impact procedure that could be incorporated into the existing assessment regime without significantly increasing the test burden. The focus of the new procedure is on passengers seated in the front row and will evaluate excursion and contact injury risk. The new assessment is sled based rather than being a full- scale test, allowing for a wider coverage of real-world scenarios and offering a method for the development of countermeasures in the most effective and efficient way.

This paper details the group’s work in the development of a far-side occupant test procedure. The outcome of real- world accident analyses from numerous European databases has been summarised along with a review of existing work already undertaken for far-side occupants. This data allowed for boundary conditions to be established, which were evaluated by the group with the use of physical and CAE testing. The outcome of this research has been used to develop a Euro NCAP assessment procedure for non-struck side front seat occupants.