An Analytical Assessment of Three-Point Restraints in Several Accident Configurations

The effectiveness of the common three-point restraint is studied for several accident configurations. These include frontal, left and right side, and left and right oblique (45°) impacts for automobile drivers. The displacement and rotation of the head and the displacement of the chest is examined. The analysis is conducted using UCIN-CRASH - a vehicle-occupant, crash-victim simulation computer code. The results show that the restraint belts provide greater protection for impacts to the passenger side than for impacts to the driver side even though the greatest hazard of “second collision” is against the driver's door.