In order to increase car passenger safety, the Brazilian National Traffic Council (CONTRAN), released the Resolution 221, defining maximum passenger and driver biomechanical criteria, for the event of a vehicle frontal impact. These vehicle maximum allowed biomechanical injury criteria will be enforced from January 2012, for new vehicles, and in January 2014 for vehicles in production before January 2014.
To standardize the test method to measure the driver and front passenger injury values in a frontal crash, Contran's Resolution 221 defines that the tests have to be done according to the ABNT NBR 15300-1 standard, followed by the ABNT NBR 15300-2 standard or the ABNT NBR 15300-3 standard. The use of ABNT NBR 15300-2 or ABNT NBR 15300-3 standards is a free choice for the vehicle's manufacturer.
The ABNT NBR 15300-1 + 15300-2 test is similar to the FMVSS 208 standard from the United States, on its vehicle frontal impact test perpendicular to a rigid barrier, with the use of seat belts by the male model dummies. The test, according to ABNT NBR 15300-1 + 15300-3 follows the European ECE R94 and 96/79/EC standards.
Whereas the ABNT NBR 15300-2 tests more the occupant protection over vehicle deceleration, than over vehicle deformation on a crash test, ABNT NBR 15300 tests more occupant protection over vehicle deformation, than it tests over vehicle deceleration.
With this in mind, this paper aims to show the kind of test results from the ABNT NBR 15300-2 and the ABNT NBR 15300-3 standards and their differences concerning occupant protection verification and discuss the manufacturer's freedom of choice.