The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) is committed to campaigning for reform to improve the law for injured people so that, when the worst happens, people will be able to exercise their right to seek justice, care and fair compensation.
We would all prefer for people not to be injured needlessly in the first place and 15th August 2018 is APIL’s Injury Prevention Day when it wants people to think about what they can do to prevent harm to themselves and others.
This year the focus is on avoiding needless injuries by ensuring vehicle head restraints are properly adjusted. The UK has 50% more traffic on the roads than the European average and this congestion, coupled with bad driving habits, creates a recipe for low-speed collisions and injuries. A head restraint is designed to limit the movement of the head and provide support in an accident. A properly adjusted head restraint will help protect you against whiplash and potentially save you from a long term injury.
How to Adjust your Head Restraint
Most people don’t know how to properly position the head restraint or don’t take the time to do it, leaving themselves more vulnerable to injury. In order to correctly adjust a head restraint you should
- Ensure that the top of the head restraint is as high as the top of your head
- Position the head restraint as close to the rear of your head as possible
A properly adjusted head restraint will help prevent whiplash by reducing the distance between the back of the head and head restraint, stopping the neck from bending back. It will also reduce the amount of time it takes your head to initially contact the head restraint and increase the amount of time that your head is supported during an accident. A head restraint that is too low or too far back will not protect your head and neck in an accident.
Having a locking head restraint is important. A head restraint that cannot be locked into position may move during an accident. This can compromise the amount of protection the restraint offers. There is also the danger that rear seat occupants getting in and out of the vehicle could accidentally move the restraint out of position.
You should also think about head restraints and whiplash prevention when buying a car. It is important to ensure that the head restraint can be properly adjusted so that it rests behind your head. You should always sit in the vehicle, before purchasing it, to ensure the restraint can be adjusted into a safe and comfortable position.
Drivers who experience discomfort from the position of their headrest may be able to alleviate this by adjusting the back or base of their seat. Drivers should not replace their head restraint with one from another vehicle without consulting the manufacturers as this could compromise the driver’s safety and may affect an insurance claim in the event of an accident.
Technology to Help Prevent Whiplash
There are 2 new systems that are becoming more common on vehicles which may reduce the risk of whiplash injury
- Active Head Restraint: this consists of a pressure plate and a pivot system in the seat back. As the occupant’s body moves into the seat in the initial stages of the collision, it contacts the pressure plate in the seat in the seat back and triggers the active head restraint. The head restraint moves towards the occupant’s head creating an earlier contact time between the two, and a longer period of support for the head during the accident.
- WHIPS Seat: these seats have a fixed integral head restraint, which cannot be adjusted, as the entire seat back has been designed to offer good geometry and prevent the occupant from whiplash. It ensures that the movement of the head and body are similar and increases the length of time that the occupant is in contact with the head restraint.
If you are unfortunate enough to be in injured in a road traffic accident or indeed in any other type of accident please contact us on info@tayloremmet.co.uk or call 0114 218 4000
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