4.3.3 Performing the EU Test at Side NCAP Speeds

At least three of the vehicles listed in Table 1 have also been tested in the Side NCAP program. This program performs the standard compliance testing, but at a higher impact speed. It may yield useful data to test identical vehicles, and possible others, to the EU regulation, but at a speed comparable to the Side NCAP tests. This would provide comparisons of vehicle performance in an EU-NCAP type test and would evaluate EUROSID-1 in a more severe test environment. These tests would not be part of the formal NCAP program, but rather a research project. NHTSA intends for NCAP side impact tests to be conducted following the same procedures as adopted for any U.S. side impact standard (e.g., if the EU regulation is found to meet all of the agency's requirements for harmonization and safety needs and is adopted in the U.S., then the EU procedure would be used for NCAP, with the exception of impact speed).