Whiplash prevention

It is very common to sustain a whiplash-type injury in a car accident, with an estimated 50,000 people in the UK suffering the painful neck injury each year. However, research amongst the public suggests that many Whiplash-Associated Disorders could have been avoided. Read an explanation of Whiplash-Associated Disorders.

Head restraints
Head restraints are fitted in all cars for the purpose of preventing whiplash neck injuries. They work by stopping the head from snapping back in the hyperextension motion and thereby reducing the chance of soft tissue damage being sustained in the neck. However, they must be adjusted before they can provide maximum protection.

A correctly adjusted head restraint will be as close to the back of the head as possible and as high as the top of the occupant’s head, thus minimising backwards head movement in the event of a car accident.

	Wrong position		Correct position

However, many UK motorists do not realise this and fail to change the position of their head restraint when they start out on a journey. Just 36% of drivers adjust their head restraints and 30% of these do not adjust them correctly. Passengers are even less likely to alter them, with a survey finding just 23% would do it.

The Real-World Head Restraint Usage survey of 1999 found that overall, 72% of car occupants had their head restraints incorrectly adjusted. However, it is not just the people who use the cars that are not making the most out of head restraints.

The role of car manufacturers
Historically, many car manufacturers have not put much into researching optimum whiplash injury protection and provide little in the way of effective head restraints.

An exception to this is Saab, which has been fitting its cars with the best in whiplash protection head restraints for many years. Thatcham have tested these restraints through use of crash test dummies, and accordingly many of the cars in the Saab range have been awarded the best ratings. In 1997, Saab introduced the world's first active head restraint. When a rear-end accident occurs, the driver's body will hit the back of the seat and activate a pressure pad that in turn activates the head restraint. The head restraint is pushed up and towards the back of the head, preventing the neck from being stretched as it extends backwards.

It has proven a great success, and has reduced the number of neck injury claims from Saab car occupants by an average of 43% (by 55% for women and 33% for men). However, the amount of protection afforded by this system may be even better than the statistics indicate, since the previous Saab neck restrain system was also considered to be one of the best. Find out more at www.saab.co.uk.

Volvo is well-known for producing the ultimate in safe cars and the company has invested a lot in technology to protect occupants of their cars from whiplash-type injuries. Instead of having an adjustable head restraint such as Saab employs, Volvo has developed an all-in-one seat and headrest, the latter of which cannot be adjusted. This is known as WHIPS, which stands for Whiplash Protection System.

The whole of the seat works to prevent whiplash injuries through its backrest, head restraint geometry and recliner. These features come together to reduce the acceleration of the person in the seat and the rebound they may experience, as well as improving support. It has helped to reduce whiplash-type injuries by 51% and is again most effective for women.

However, it is important to note that the mechanism in this seat does need to be replaced every time it is activated. Find out more at www.volvo.co.uk.

Whiplash compensation
If you have suffered a whiplash injury that was not your fault, you may well be able to get compensation. We have many years' experience of handling accident claims involving Whiplash-Associated Disorders and over this time our solicitors have gained specialist knowledge that helps to get the very best result for our customers.

We believe that everyone has the right to compensation and as such we ensure that our service is accessible to all. It is completely cost-free, whether your claim is successful or not, and you will keep every penny of the money that is awarded to you. This contrasts with other personal injury firms that take up to 40% of their customers' compensation.

If you wish to discover more about getting compensation for a whiplash-type injury, please telephone
0800 10 757 95 or fill in an online claim form and we will call you back.