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Restraint systems are either active or passive. If active (usually safety belts), they offer good individual effectiveness and low cost, but because of low use rate, have low benefit on the societal (national) level. Passive systems eliminate dependency on use rate, therefore promise high societal benefit, but usually at high cost in dollars and/or convenience. Such restraints, whether active or passive, serve primarily to augment passive protection already offered in passenger cars like the energy absorbing column, high penetration windshield glass, etc., which accident data indicate can provide a basic level of protection, and do help reduce the effects of a collision.

General Motors completed development and testing of its Experimental Safety Vehicle prototypes in May 1972. Two ESV prototypes and two ESV's rebuilt after testing were delivered to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for its independent test and evaluation. The GM-ESV designers produced a vehicle close to contract specifications for accident avoidance and occupant crash protection. The vehicle, however, was seriously overweight. The purpose of this report is to comment on the results of the first ESV program, to add comments to the recently published 3,000 pound intermediate ESV and to suggest areas for additional research in highway safety

Highway safety management in the United States is divided into three periods of historical development: an early period, extending from the turn of the century to about 1935; a middle period, from 1935 to 1965; and a current period beginning with the institution of the Highway Safety Act of 1966. The first two periods were essentially ones of genesis and growth, periods of trial in an attempt to develop some understanding of an extremely complex new social problem rising, as so often is the case, from a major invention of progress. There were repeated, serious attempts at coordinating efforts directed toward highway safety, but such efforts, dependent for the most part upon voluntary cooperation between voluntary organizations, never quite succeeded in accomplishing the desired goal, yet still managed a considerable measure of success. Too many things were lacking, funds primarily, as well as any prior knowledge of the depths of the safety problem.

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, now under development by Congress, provides for the establishment of motor vehicle safety standards. In anticipation of the development of new standards, engineers in the SAE and in industry are planning ahead, collecting additional safety test information and analyzing designs and data. Computers are playing an increasingly important role in this work. The results of such work will assist the safety engineer in determining the true value of proposed safety standards and whether the proposed changes in vehicle design will actually result in an improvement in safety for the passenger.

The Impact Sled, a full-scale laboratory facility which simulates vehicle accidents, has been in use at the General Motors Proving Ground since late 1962. This paper describes the facility and supporting instrumentation, and reviews some of the many types of tests that were run in the first year of operation. These range from tests of complete vehicles loaded with passenger dummies to tests of single components such as seat belts, seat adjusters, door locks, and windshields. This new research tool, which produces results comparable to those of the classical barrier impact test, has proved to be a valuable and versatile addition to the automotive testing facilities at the Proving Ground.