Whiplash - the facts.

mike65

http://www.thatcham.org/html/mspages/press_releases/November04.html

http://www.thatcham-sites.org/ncwr/ this page is currently down but check it later for some suprising results.

Now check your head restriant!



Mike.

Borzoi

Thanks mike, we were probably listneing to the same guy oin the way home last night, so you saved me from putting up the details for Thatcham

Why it's important:

Whiplash – Why it happens
The MOST common injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes are those to the soft tissue of the neck, commonly termed whiplash. Of the 250,000 cases every year, 10% result in long term symptoms and 1% suffer permanent pain and discomfort. Whiplash is a huge burden on the health care system and it adds £1 billion a year to our insurance premiums. The exact mechanisms of the injury remain poorly understood, however it is generally accepted that the cause is the sudden whip-like movement of the head relative to the torso during a rear crash as the seat is pushed forward at high speed but the unsupported head lags behind

UK figures, but presumably scalable

Canis Lupus

how many ppl actually have there head rest touching the back of their head???? maybe its the way I sit but i'd have to be ramrod straight to have the rest touch the back of my head which then results in a ridiculous driving position..... best cure for whiplash is don't crash

mike65

It depends on the car but on mine for example the head restraint can be tilted forwards quite a bit. I'd say if you can feel the cushion by moving your head slightly you're okay.

Mike.

Furp

Canis Lupas I agree with you there.

I've tried numerous times to adjust the headrest to be touching the back of my head, which has resulted in my opinion in a dangerous driving position with my head facing straight ahead and too high up as even in most cars I find you have to slump to see out the windscreen properly not that I am particularly tall.

but when I'm driving my head is constantly moving back and forward left and right checking the blind spots looking in the mirrors watch the road ahead and looking into corners, that position just seems impractical.

Or am I just being stupid

I do notice though in that picture, they should show the car around the guy so you can see where his eyeline is, if I where to site like that in my car my eyeline would almost be at the intersection of the windscreen and roof.

Andrew Duffy

It doesn't have to touch the back of your head all the time, just prevent it snapping back in an impact.

The best headrests appear to be in old Mercedes, by the way. They extend very high and point forwards, almost to the point of pushing your head slightly forward. The build quality in the old Mercs was great as well.

Victor

Furp wrote:

I've tried numerous times to adjust the headrest to be touching the back of my head, which has resulted in my opinion in a dangerous driving position with my head facing straight ahead and too high up as even in most cars I find you have to slump to see out the windscreen properly not that I am particularly tall.

It's not quite that your head 100% touches the headrest, but what angle your head will flip back. In the top photo his head stays parallel with his body, in the lower one, his head would flip back probably 46 degrees.

Furp

Kudos to Andre and Victor,

Right you are I've always adjusted my head rest so that it is behind the back of my head, I don't know why i was thinking that i had to have my head resting on it.

I think that it is common sense to have it behind the back of your head but I'd say there is a very small percentage of people that do this in which case in an accident, with the top of the headrest in the middle of the back of the head its going to cause more damage than good.

Also my dad had both the old 90's Mercedes and a new model one and the headrests are very adjustable and comfortable.

Lawdie

The pics are of a renault laguna, I've always found the laguna headrest easy to adjust and comfortable (excellent seat!).
My current car (Hyundai Sonata) headrest is pretty good also!

I'm not a doctor, but I think the message is, as your head pulls back, a headrest in or near the top picture will help reduce the strain and damage. The bottom pic will most likely inflict damage.

On a previous comment about don't crash, I say in a ideal world.....

daveg

Have some +ve rep Mike. I heard the section on the last word but couldn't remember the link. Thanks for posting it.