A method for protecting an occupant seated on a seat of a vehicle in a
side collision of the vehicle is disclosed. In the method, the lumbar
region of the occupant is retained in a section that corresponds to the
pelvis rearward of the acetabulum in the skeletal structure of the
occupant by using an impact absorbing member. Specifically, the lumbar
region of the occupant is retained in a section that corresponds to an
ilium in the skeletal structure of the occupant. In a side collision of
the vehicle, the impact absorbing member initially contacts the lumbar
region in a section corresponding to the ilium.