Chest Injury Severity measures on a Dummy were reduced by more than one half with this invention. It has the potential to save over half of highway fatalities and serious injuries. In effect, the Invention is an artificial Crumple Zone.

By accelerating a vehicle occupant rearward just milliseconds BEFORE the impact we slow the Occupants over-the-ground speed. . Then, before the seat reaches its rearmost limit of excursion, the crash pulse slows and reverses the seat’s direction of travel. The seat and occupant then dissipate further energy as Force is applied over their forward travel distance. In a 30 mph delta v Sled Test, the Preflex invention reduced Dummy Chest Gs by 60% (from 30 Gs to 12Gs). It made the 30 mph collision less severe than a Baseline 18 mph crash without the Preflex system. When viewed in conjunction with the NHTSA’s Fatal any Injury data this Invention shows the potential to save hundreds of thousands of fatalities and serious injuries. Restraint Systems should be Proactive rather than Reactive.