CHEST DEFLECTION CHARACTERISTICS OF VOLUNTEERS AND HYBRID III DUMMIES. IN: SEAT BELTS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ESSENTIAL SAFETY FEATURE

The study analyzed field accident data obtained by the Association Peugeot-Renault 386 occupants who were involved in frontal collisions while being restrained by three-point belt systems that used a shoulder belt with a force limiting element. For 342 of the occupants, the magnitude of the shoulder belt force could be estimated with various degrees of certainty from the amount of force-limiting band ripping. These data were used to calculate thoracic injury for the various shoulder belt loads. Hyge sled tests were conducted with a Hybrid III dummy to reproduce the various degrees of band tearing. The results indicate that Hybrid III sternal deflection was well correlated with shoulder belt load.