Side Impacts and Improved Occupant Protection

New Car Assessment Programs (NCAP) in Australia, Europe, Japan and the USA are giving increasing attention to the protection of vehicle occupants in side impact crashes. The authors review the range of crash tests that are available or are under development for assessing side impact protection, together with the types of vehicle that exists in each market. Real world crashes in the region are reviewed to determine the suitability or influence of existing occupant protection features in reducing injury. The potential benefits of the Australian NCAP consumer crash test program are presented to publicly demonstrate improved side impact protection in reducing injury. The results of recent pole crash tests conducted by the ANCAP are described in terms of a new strategy for improving side occupant protection.