A Review of the Effects of Belt Systems, Steering Assemblies, and Structural Design on the Safety Performance of Vehicles in the New Car Assessment Program

Since 1979, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted crash tests of 159 different vehicle makes and models in the New Car Assessment Program. Each of these vehicles was crashed into a rigid barrier at a test speed of 35 mph. The data from the anthropomorphic devices contained in the driver and passenger positions in these vehicles are regularly released as part of NHTSA's Consumer Information Program.

Three of the major vehicle attributes that affect the safety of restrained occupants in frontal crash events are safety belt, steering assembly and frontal structure performances.

The analyses are performed with electronic data collected during each vehicle test