Samenvatting
This paper reports on how front seat occupants sit in cars relative to the B-pillar and cant rail. Car occupants were filmed unobtrusively in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). The results showed that 10.9% of drivers in the US, 2.9% of passengers in the US, and 7.2% of UK passengers had the top of the head level with or above the level of the cant rail. In addition, it was found that 42% of UK front seat passengers, 27.5% of US front seat passengers, and 18% of US drivers sit with their shoulder in line with or rearward of the B-pillar. The findings of the study clearly have implications for occupant safety in a side impact, and give support to an advanced restraint approach to side impact protection. (A)