Abstract
Deployable passive restraint systems have great potential for reduction of the severity of motor vehicle accidents. However, the realisation of this goal requires overcoming a large number of difficult technical problems, involving the restraint design, means of deployment, and crash sensing. An anticipatory crash sensor for actuation of deployable passive restraint system has been developed, and the system consists of a 10 GHz continuous wave Doppler radar. Studies are being carried out to permit preliminary estimates of cost and reliability for production sensors, thereby using available accident data to indicate the probable effectiveness of such systems.