Motor vehicle accidents continue to be the leading cause of death and morbidity in children. Current child anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) have been very useful in advancing restraint system technologies, but serious deficiencies in their biofidelity may be the single greatest impediment to further research and development in child occupant protection. It is becoming increasingly difficult to advance the state-of-the-art because the ATDs lack the biofidelity and sophistication needed to evaluate new injury interventions with confidence. As a result we are researching the biomechanics pf the pediatric head and neck with the eventual goal of updating and improving the current family of child ATDs.