Samenvatting
In this study, a historical review of frontal and side impact regulations in the U.S.A. and Europe has been conducted. The biomechanical basis of injury criteria utilized in these regulations has been examined. It is shown that the biomechanical database utilized in the current impact regulations is based on research conducted before the mid 1980's. Research conducted since then has not had any impact on regulatory injury criteria, although proposed upgrades in the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 has attempted to synthesize all available data to develop tolerance levels for various size dummies.