Side collision protection system for motor vehicles

System for protecting motor vehicle occupants against injury in side collisions, comprising exterior and interior panels of a car body side and/or doors, a seat support, first reinforcing members arranged between the exterior and interior panels of the car body side and/or doors, and second reinforcing members, incorporated in the seat support, and which extend transversely to the vehicle and are disposed to transmit, after a certain deformation of a press-loaded body side or door, the load to the floor of the vehicle and to the opposite body side or door, characterized in that the first reinforcing members (4) are made as essentially plastically deformable, energy absorbing members, which extend transversely over at least the greater part of the space between the exterior and interior panels (2 and 3 resp.) of the body sides and/or doors and which vertically cover an area level with the bumpers of the vehicle, and in that the second reinforcing members (6;

• 6,11) comprise transversely extending members which take up pressing loads and are incorporated in the seat support (5) level with the first reinforcing members, and outer end surfaces affixed to said transversely extending members and located adjacent to or at an insignificant distance from the interior panels of the body sides and/or doors.