This article is a detailed review of the strain rate dependence of fracture toughness properties in polymer composite materials. An attempt is made to draw together all the strain rate studies done in the past and to elucidate the reasons given by the authors of the reviewed papers for the trends resulting from their studies to better understand the strain rate effects on the fracture toughness of fiber reinforced polymer composite materials. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.