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27/08/2009
Motorists should ensure that their head restraints are correctly adjusted, according to Brake.
And the road safety charity says that drivers should change cars if they do not have head restraints, or the ones that are fitted cannot be correctly adjusted.
Head restraints are intended to protect the head in an accident, and to prevent the neck 'hyper-extending' during a crash - which can result in severe injuries. A 2008 report by the Association of British Insurers revealed that more than 432,000 people make an insurance claim for whiplash-related injuries each year.
Brake says that the correct way to adjust a headrest is to adjust the seat back so that it is upright, rather than reclined, bringing the restraint as close to the back of the head as possible. The restraint should then be adjusted so that its top is level with the top of the seat occupant's head.
However, in a poll conducted for the charity, two-thirds of respondents either said that they did not know how to position the restraint properly, or incorrectly thought its top should be level with the neck or ears.
"Even if drivers did regularly check their head restraint, the research shows us that most drivers wouldn't have a clue whether it was correct or not," said Brake chief executive Mary Williams OBE.
Calling for a major awareness-raising campaign on "this life-saving, simple measure", she warned that "incorrect head restraints result in death, permanent disability, and in the more minor cases excruciating back and neck pain".
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