Book excerpt: Automotive engineers have been working to improve vehicle safety ever since the first car rolleddown some pathway well over 100 years ago. Today, there are many new technologies being developedthat will improve the safety of future vehicles. Featuring the 69 best safety-related SAE technical papers of 2003, this book provides the most comprehensive information available on current and emerging developments in automotive safety. It gives readers a feel for the direction engineers are taking to reduce deaths and injuries of vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians. All of the papers selected for this book meet the criteria for inclusion in SAE Transactions--the definitive collection of the year's best technical research in automotive engineering technology.