Whiplash – A Serious Problem

In the USA each year, there are nearly two million rear-impact vehicle crashes. And industry data shows that more than 20% of drivers in those rear-impact crashes report neck injuries, commonly known as ‘whiplash’.

According to the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), those neck injuries are now costing the US auto insurance industry more than US$7 billion a year.

The manufacturers can’t be blamed as they have, for decades, provided head restraints on the tops of seats to prevent whiplash. However, while it is obvious that head restraints can significantly reduce such injuries, a recent survey by Progressive (an auto insurance group in the USA) has found that only 14% of drivers in America know the optimal positioning of a head restraint, while 18% of drivers think all vehicles come with head restraints already properly positioned.

As part of its ongoing market research, Progressive conducted the survey of 22,600 drivers whose primary vehicle has adjustable head restraints in an effort to understand their perceptions and use of head restraints. The survey results show that 40% of drivers do not adjust their head restraint when driving a newly-purchased vehicle and 57% don’t adjust them even after someone else has driven their vehicle. In addition, 13% of drivers “have given no thought” to how high their head restraint should be to protect them from neck injury.

“Fixing the position of your head restraint can help reduce your chances of a neck injury in a rear-impact crash, but the survey tells us that few people are doing it,” said John Bindseil, medical claims manager for Progressive.

“More than one-third of an auto insurance premium goes to coverages that pay for injuries caused by a car crash, including neck injuries. People should know that proper head restraint adjustment can not only help protect them from injury, but can also help lower the medical costs associated with accidents – which can ultimately help keep the cost of insurance down for all consumers,” he explained.

Perhaps the manufacturers have also known that motorists are lax or ignorant in the use and adjustment of head restraints and have, in the past decade, developed seats that flex to some degree to match the way the body is flung backwards. These ‘whiplash-reducing’ seat designs are available in many models today but adjustment of the head restraints is still needed on many cases.

Survey findings

18% of drivers think all new vehicles come with head restraints already properly adjusted.

When driving a newly-purchased vehicle, 40% of drivers said they don’t adjust their head restraints and 57% don’t adjust them even after someone else has driven their vehicle.

38% of drivers said head restraints should be positioned as high as the top of a driver’s or passenger’s ears – although according to the IIHS, head restraints should ideally be as high as the top of an occupant’s head.

13% of drivers said they have given no thought to how high the head restraint should be to protect them from a neck injury.

Drivers are more likely to adjust head restraints when driving a newly-purchased vehicle (58%) compared to a rental car (36%).

57% of drivers said they don’t adjust their head restraints when driving a rental car.

Drivers are more likely to adjust the head restraints in their vehicle only if they are the driver of the vehicle (36%) – than if they were a passenger in the vehicle (23%).

69% of drivers said they don’t adjust head restraints before driving long distances.

Older people (55-64 years old) are less likely to adjust restraints than younger people (18-24 years old)

49% of the younger group said they adjust head restraints after someone has driven their car compared to only 36% of the older age group.

33% of the younger group said they adjust head restraints before driving long distances compared to 28% of older group.

The younger group is also more likely to adjust head restraints when driving while fatigued or tired (22%) – compared to the older group (15%).

Male drivers (33%) are more likely than female drivers (29%) to adjust head restraints before driving long distances.

Five Simple Steps to Adjust Your Head Restraint

Next time you get in the car, follow these simple steps to help protect yourself from neck injuries:

Whether you’re the driver or passenger, check out your head restraint before getting into the car. Get to know how it works. Does it adjust up and down? Does it tilt? Does it lock into place? This will help you find the best position for yourself although in some cars (like Volvos), the head restraints are fixed in an optimal position.

Once you’re in the car, be sure your seat back is in an upright and comfortable driving or sitting position. This is also important for the seatbelts to restrain you properly during an accident, and for the airbag to provide optimum cushioning.

Facing forward, reach behind you to adjust the height of your head restraint. In the optimal position, the top of the head restraint should be as high as the top of your head and no lower than 64 mm below the top of your head. If your restraint locks into position, make sure it is locked in after you’ve found the right height.

Still facing forward, feel how close the head restraint is to your head. In the optimal position, it should be as close as possible to the back of your head, no farther than 64 mm away. If your restraint tilts, this can help you find the right distance. Adjusting the height of your seat can help too.

To be sure you’ve positioned your head restraint properly, you or someone in the car with you can use a ruler to measure the height and distance. Once you have an idea of the relationships, you won’t need to do this again.

It’s important to note that not all adjustable head restraints can be locked into place or positioned properly for all drivers. In these cases, do everything you can to protect yourself, such as adjusting your seat back to achieve proper head restraint position. And remember that it is a head restraint and not just a head rest.

Do all this the next time you get into a car – your neck will thank you if your car gets rammed from behind.