Abstract
Studies with Hybrid II dummies have demonstrated that the chest acceleration is a poor indicator of chest injury potential and that a realistic evaluation of the effectiveness of restraint systems should be based on measurements of the chest compression by means of strain gauges on a dummy's ribs. To be sure that the highly protective effect of airbags, which is evident from real world accident analysis, be reflected in laboratory tests with dummies, this study suggests that the thorax of the Hybrid III dummy must be improved with respect to its sensitivity to injury producing local forces.