A high level of fatalities are still seen in SOI and oblique offset frontal crashes even in cars that have safety belts and airbags. These types of impact do not engage the main frontal structures of cars known as the frame or longitudinal rails and therefore lead to more severe injuries to vehicle occupants.
Previously oblique offset and SOI testing was carried out using real cars, however by running these tests using a moving deformable barrier NHTSA are expecting more repeatability and a greater amount of control in the crash test environment.
