With car collisions as one of the most common emergency calls run by North Metro Fire Rescue and most Colorado fire departments, it is not surprising that national statistics reveal nearly two million rear-impact vehicle collisions annually in this country. While rear-end crashes may not cause the types of traumatic injures associated with roll-over or a T-bone crashes, they can cause significant neck injuries.
Insurance companies claim more than 20 percent of the drivers in rear-impact collisions report neck injuries. Perhaps, one of the most common forms of neck injury is whiplash—a condition where the ligaments and muscles of the neck and shoulders are distressed. But, whiplash not only impacts drivers, but the front and rear-seat passengers as well.
Head Restraints Can Help
When looking at your vehicle’s seat, do you know what device is already installed in your vehicle to help prevent whiplash? Most people think of the padding attached to their car seats as a head rest, but that’s not the primary function. In fact these are head restraints and they were actually designed to restrict head movement during a rear-impact collision.
The most common mistake drivers and passengers make is that they don’t adjust their head rest to make them effective. An individual’s height and body frame type make a difference on the proper setting of the head rest; therefore family members should not assume that one position works for all!
In a recent study by Progressive Insurance, it was discovered that only 14 percent of drivers know the optimal positioning of a head restraint or “head rest”. How confident do you feel about your head restraint’s position?
Step 1
Sit in your vehicle as you normally would. Then check the distance of how far your head is away from the back of the seat and head rest area. The angle of your seat (not the distance from the acceleration peddle and brake) can be adjusted. If your head is more than 2 ½ inches away from your head rest....decrease the angle of your seat. The more upright you sit, the closer you will be to your head restraint.
Step 2
Check to see where your head restraint is located in relation to your head. The ideal positioning is to have the top of your head restraint fall somewhere in between the top of your ears to the top of your head.
Unfortunately, most drivers leave head restraints at their lowest setting (too low for their body height) and this renders them ineffective. By simply moving your head rest into a proper position you can literally save yourself from a debilitating “pain in the neck” if you are involved in a minor fender bender. So, before you pull out your driveway for your next road trip, take a couple minutes to check your head restraint!
Wendy Krajewski is the Public Information Officer of North Metro Fire Rescue District. North Metro Fire Rescue provides fire protection, emergency medical services, hazardous materials response and rescue services to the City and County of Broomfield. For more information or to contact Wendy, please call (303) 452-9910 or visit the North Metro Fire Rescue web site at www.northmetrofire.org.