Presentation from Asada-san, Japan (GTR7-06-13):

Two seats each tested three times at different torso angles. One seat was standard and one included a reactive head restraint. It was reported that there was no consistent change in dummy measures when changing from 20° torso angle to 25° torso angle. It was therefore recommended that the design torso angle should be used. No further work is planned on this subject.

The relative merits of fixed (25°) and design torso angles were discussed. PDB reported that the effect of e.g. 20° and 25° torso angles depends on whether the backset is kept constant, or allowed to change with torso angle. It was noted that the design angle is intended to reflect the typical use of the seat for a particular type of vehicle; if one then tests at a more reclined seating position, manufacturers may have to move the head restraint forward, which can be too close (touching) in the normal use position. All other impact tests in UNECE use the design torso angle as do most FMVSS impact tests, however, 202a uses a fixed torso angle of 25°.

Action Mr Frost to include torso angle as a specific discussion point on future agendas.