WHAT WE LEARNED FROM JNCAP AND OUR PROPOSALS

This paper provides the results of JNCAP analyses and ongoing and future programs. The JNCAP presently conducts brake, full frontal and offset frontal impact, side impact and child seat safety performance tests. The overall evaluation based on three crash tests after 2001 has resulted in significant improvements in crashworthiness. This is mainly due to the improvement of the scores in offset frontal impact tests. The frontal impact test results show that cars are modified to have greater passenger compartment strength without changing the front stiffness. After side impact tests were implemented in 2000, the scores have improved every year. In side impact tests, the scores of injury criteria in particular were nearly perfect in 2002. Research is under way conducted on pedestrian protection tests and child restraint abdominal injuries. The effects of the introduction of offset impact tests were examined since they test different features of crashworthiness. Side impact tests were also analyzed based on the car deformation and door intrusion velocities. Current JNCAP research projects and future programs are summarized. For the covering abstract see ITRD E825082.