(NHTSA: Washington) -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters recently announced new side impact safety requirements for all passenger vehicles. It is expected that the upgrade, developed by the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will avoid the loss of hundreds of lives every year.

The new standard for the first time requires auto manufacturers to provide head protection in side-impact crashes. It also would enhance other protections for passengers involved in such crashes.

Side-impact crashes account for 28 percent of all fatalities, the majority of which involve a brain injury. NHTSA estimates that the new requirements will save over 300 lives and prevent nearly 400 serious injuries per year.

For the first time, a dummy representing a small adult female will be used in side-impact performance testing. A new and more technically advanced dummy representing an adult male of average height will also be used in crash testing.

“With these rigorous new requirements, we are building on the strength of innovative and life-saving side impact technologies that are already available to many new car buyers,” says Nicole R. Nason, NHTSA Administrator.

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