Results of MVMA Sixteen Full Vehicle Side Impact Tests Using the Proposed NHTSA Test Procedure

The results are presented of side impact tests utilizing a moving barrier with deformable face and side impact dummy (SID) both of which were developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Sixteen identically built Ford LTD's were modified to represent extreme cases of three countermeasures that could potentially be used to improve side impact protection: occupent-to-door spacing, door stiffness and interior padding. The tests were conducted and an analysis of the results made to determine the degree to which various SID dummy measurements can detect differences in the three countermeasures. In addition, two levels of data filtering and two different SID dummies were used to obtain a measure of how these sources of variability affect the results. In all cases, estimates of variance, interaction and correlation were obtained.