Overview
ISO 6546:2018 - Road vehicles: Collection of accident data for evaluation of occupant restraint performance specifies the information to be collected in the field to evaluate occupant restraint systems in passenger cars and trucks. The standard focuses on data elements that support assessment of seat belts, head restraints, knee protection, airbag systems and child restraint systems. It is intended for systematic accident data collection and analysis; it does not cover vehicle structural performance (for example, crush, intrusion, or architecture). This second edition (2018) updates earlier work to address advanced restraint features (e.g., multi‑stage airbags) and groups data per the STAIRS categorization scheme.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard defines the specific data elements to capture, including:
- Vehicle data
- Identification, pre‑crash situation, crash configuration, impact severity (EES, Δv)
- Airbag counts and deployment event parameters, diagnostic/warning indicators, retrievable event data (acceleration pulse, Δv components, pre‑impact braking, vehicle speed, deployment timing/level)
- Restraint data by seating position
- Seat description and track position
- Head restraint/seat: type, adjustment positions, damage, angles and distances
- Knee protection: type (bolster, airbag), deformation location, occupant knee contact
- Steering column/wheel: adjustment, deformation, energy‑absorption features
- Belt systems: system type, anchorages, pre‑tensioners, load limiters, inflatable belts, usage and failure modes
- Airbag operation: type, size, location, deployment status, damage evidence, venting and tethers
- Occupant data
- Physical description, clothing, body position, awareness, and driver‑specific supplemental data
- Occupant injury data
- Injury severity and detailed restraint contact/injury sources (interior contacts, restraint contacts, non‑contact)
- Child restraint system evaluation
- Specific data elements for child seats and crash involvement
Data elements are recommended for each seating position and occupant; many items can be corroborated by vehicle event data recorder (EDR) outputs where available.
Applications and users
ISO 6546:2018 is practical for:
- Vehicle safety engineers and OEMs performing post‑crash restraint performance analyses
- Accident investigators and crash reconstruction specialists collecting standardized field data
- Regulators and testing bodies evaluating real‑world restraint system effectiveness
- Academic researchers and public health/transport safety analysts studying occupant protection
- Insurance and forensic specialists needing structured restraint/contact/injury data
Using ISO 6546 supports consistent, comparable accident datasets to improve restraint design, regulatory assessment, and injury mitigation strategies.
Related standards
Normative references integral to ISO 6546:2018 include:
For organizations collecting and analyzing crash data, ISO 6546 provides a focused, field‑oriented checklist to evaluate occupant restraint performance reliably and consistently.
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