Car makers have been criticised for placing aesthetics above passenger safety. Research revealed that the worst position for head restraints is exactly the position that most manufacturers use as their default setting.
Head restraints, which are vital to prevent whiplash and serious neck injuries in rear-end accidents, should be positioned so that the top of the restraint is level with the top of the driver or passenger's head.
However, most manufacturers insist on sending cars to the showroom with the restraints as low down as possible.
Researchers from European insurers, Allianz, with researchers from Thatcham, Britain's automotive research and technology centre, and the University of Munich, have spent the last 25 years looking into the effects of head restraints on preventing whiplash injuries.
By investigating real accidents and simulating over 250 rear-end collisions, the researchers found that the correct position of the head restraint is vital in preventing serious injury. "We have discussed this with the manufacturers several times," explains Christian Deutscher, who is in charge of whiplash prevention research in Allianz. "But it has proved very difficult to convince them to change . . .it is down to aesthetics." Correctly positioned head restraints do not give the visual impact the makers want, he claims.
But Volvo, one of only two manufacturers credited for producing the best head restraints on the market - is one of the few companies producing unadjustable restraints. The company says its restraints are "set at a position which has been carefully chosen after very thorough research on the human body, the size of occupants and optimum protection".
The vast majority of restraints are adjustable and come from the factory at their lowest setting. Even Saab, the only other company commended for its head restraint design, follows this practice, although in its defence the company said it is easy to adjust the restraints.
Despite the apparent simplicity of adjusting them, there are still questions over how many people are aware of the importance of head restraints, and how or why they should position them correctly. "
The two car makers were, however, commended by the research team for their head restraint designs. Deutscher refused to say which manufacturers produced the worst restraints, preferring to say only that "there a lot of very bad seats out there".
With the annual publication of test results into the effectiveness of each manufacturer's head restraints, Deutscher expects that the spotlight will soon focus on whiplash prevention in a similar way that the EuroNCAP tests focused attention on overall car safety design.
There are two simple steps to prevent whiplash injuries:
Before buying a car, ensure that you can adjust the head restraint to the correct position;
Every time you get into a car adjust the restraint so that its top is level with the top of your head.