How To Protect Yourself From Whiplash - Fifth Gear

**The Reality of Whiplash: A Common Injury with Consequences**

Whiplash is defined as a sudden strain to the buns or muscles of the neck, caused by a sudden movement of the head. According to recent statistics, 1,500 people every day make an insurance claim for whiplash injury, resulting in a cost of two billion quid to the insurance industry each year. Despite a drop in the number of road accidents, there has been an explosion in legal firms specializing in providing compensation for potential victims of whiplash.

**The Importance of Seat Design**

The biggest factor in a car's ability to protect its driver from neck injury is the design of the seat itself. Euro N Cup has developed a sled on which to test the seat of all new cars, known as the Whiplash Room. Mr. Whiplash, responsible for the work done with whiplash testing, states that whiplash is not a severe injury but it's a very common injury in fact, it's the most common injury in all vehicle crashes.

**The Test: How Cars Protect Against Whiplash**

Euro N Cup uses a sled on which to test the seat of all new cars. The sled is equipped with a hydraulic ram and can accelerate quickly to analyze the seat's performance under crash conditions. Mr. Whiplash explains that whiplash almost always occurs during rear-end collisions caused by g-forces, which cause the head to be violently pushed backwards and then forwards. The test focuses on seat technology as it's the most important factor in preventing whiplash.

**Key Features of a Whiplash-Resistant Seat**

The Euro N Cup sled features two key components that contribute to its effectiveness: a tall head restraint, which is high enough to support the occupant's head, and a shock-absorbing mechanism. The latter absorbs energy during the crash, reducing the force transmitted to the occupant by approximately 40%. This mechanism can be replaced immediately after the crash, making it a simple yet effective solution.

**The Best Cars Against Whiplash**

Euro N Cup has conducted research on various car models to determine which ones provide the best protection against whiplash. The results show that the Hyundai i20 is the top scorer in the supermini category, followed by the Vauxhall Astra and Ford C-Max in the hatchback category. In the SUV category, the Skoda Yeti takes the lead, while the Honda CRV scores an excellent overall safety rating of five stars and a good whiplash score of three point four out of five.

**Protecting Yourself from Whiplash: Tips for Drivers**

While new car designs can significantly reduce the risk of whiplash, there are steps drivers can take to protect themselves. Firstly, avoid reclining your seat too much, as this can increase the distance between the back of your head and the headrest, making it more likely to cause a strain. Secondly, adjust your headrest to be in line with the top of your head, and thirdly, make sure any gaps between your head and the headrest are minimized by adjusting the headrest to meet your head.

**The Impact on Insurance Costs**

By understanding how whiplash injuries occur and how cars can protect against them, insurance companies may see a reduction in compensation claims. This, in turn, could lead to cheaper car insurance premiums for drivers. While this is not an immediate solution, it's essential to acknowledge the significant impact whiplash has on the insurance industry and take steps towards prevention.

**Conclusion**

Whiplash is a common injury with significant consequences for those affected. By understanding the importance of seat design in preventing whiplash and recognizing the efforts being made by Euro N Cup to develop more effective car designs, drivers can take proactive steps to protect themselves from this often-missed injury. With improved seat technology and driver education, it's possible that injuries from whiplash will decrease, leading to fewer compensation claims and potentially cheaper car insurance premiums.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enit's time to talk whiplash the most common injury sustained from a car accident it's defined as a sudden strain to the buns or muscles of the neck 1,500 people every day make an insurance claim for whiplash injury and that cost the insurance industry as a whole two billion quid every year recently there's been an explosion in legal firms specializing in providing compensation for the potential victims of whiplash reported cases of written by a porter in the last four years despite a drop in the number of road accidents look I'm not here to moan about those companies in their cold calling I'm here to reveal the test that gyro endcap conduct in order to measure how cars can protect us from whiplash I'll also tell you which of the brand new cars are best at preventing it and what you can do with your own car to make it a bit more whiplash proof the biggest factor in a car's ability to protect its driver from neck injury is the design of the seat itself so euro n cup has developed a sled on which to test the seat of all new cars this is the whiplash room that's right and you are mr. whiplash correct I am I'm responsible for the work that we do with whiplash testing and whiplash is not a severe injury but it's a very very common injury in fact it's the most common injury in all vehicle crashes the first thing that surprises me is you haven't actually got a full car now we don't need to because of course whiplash protection really comes just from the seat and the head restraint so the seat is the most important thing so what we can do is we can just take the seat and put it on this special sled and further down there's a hydraulic ram and this sled is able to move on Rails and by accelerating it very quickly by the hydraulic ram pushing it forward we can really analyze just the season not the car whiplash almost always occurs during the rear-end collision caused by g-forces throbbing the head violently backwards and then forwards this is all about seat technology is there there's no other part of the car really that can kind of stop your neck from getting whiplash well the theaters got to absorb the energy of the crash and support the head-- so what you see here is it's got two things it's got a head restraint that's very tall as high as the top of the occupants head and it's very close which is very very good if you support the head yep you prevent the injury yeah the second thing is that this particular seat has down here got a trick mechanism that absorbs the energy of the crash so in the crash you are pushed along maybe at 10g but because this absorbs energy only maybe 7g is passed on to the occupant and reduces whiplash injury by with this particular seat something like 40% this is like a shock absorber basically and that's right and it's a very simple mechanism that can be replaced immediately after the crash there's a clear leader board when it comes to neck protection pay attention if you want to buy the best the best supermini is the Hyundai i20 with a score of three and a half out of five the best hatch is a Vauxhall Astra the best NPV is the Ford c-max the best SUV is the Skoda Yeti and the best big saloon is the Hyundai i40 the Honda CRV we saw crash earlier scored an excellent overall safety rating of five stars and a good whiplash score of three point four out of five so we now know how well plush is tested and we know which brand new cars are best at preventing it but what can we do to protect ourselves from it and our own cars let's get in the crew vehicle and have a look ok first of all don't recline your seat too much you might think you're a rude boy by putting this right back but if it's backed by more than 20 degrees it maximizes the distance between the back of your head and the headrest which means in an incident in a shunt you're more likely to get a strain secondly think about the height of your headrest what you're supposed to do is have the headrest top in line with the top of your head about other thirdly if your headrest adjusts forwards and backwards try and bring it out to meet the back of your head as much as possible if it's a small gap or your head resting on it it will absorb the impact and they'll be left it's not rocket science but it actually makes a big difference between a long-term injury and not those tips combined with Euro endcaps research and improved seat design should mean that injuries from whiplash start to fall that'll be good news for us because fewer injuries will lead to fewer compensation claims and maybe cheaper car insurance as a result youit's time to talk whiplash the most common injury sustained from a car accident it's defined as a sudden strain to the buns or muscles of the neck 1,500 people every day make an insurance claim for whiplash injury and that cost the insurance industry as a whole two billion quid every year recently there's been an explosion in legal firms specializing in providing compensation for the potential victims of whiplash reported cases of written by a porter in the last four years despite a drop in the number of road accidents look I'm not here to moan about those companies in their cold calling I'm here to reveal the test that gyro endcap conduct in order to measure how cars can protect us from whiplash I'll also tell you which of the brand new cars are best at preventing it and what you can do with your own car to make it a bit more whiplash proof the biggest factor in a car's ability to protect its driver from neck injury is the design of the seat itself so euro n cup has developed a sled on which to test the seat of all new cars this is the whiplash room that's right and you are mr. whiplash correct I am I'm responsible for the work that we do with whiplash testing and whiplash is not a severe injury but it's a very very common injury in fact it's the most common injury in all vehicle crashes the first thing that surprises me is you haven't actually got a full car now we don't need to because of course whiplash protection really comes just from the seat and the head restraint so the seat is the most important thing so what we can do is we can just take the seat and put it on this special sled and further down there's a hydraulic ram and this sled is able to move on Rails and by accelerating it very quickly by the hydraulic ram pushing it forward we can really analyze just the season not the car whiplash almost always occurs during the rear-end collision caused by g-forces throbbing the head violently backwards and then forwards this is all about seat technology is there there's no other part of the car really that can kind of stop your neck from getting whiplash well the theaters got to absorb the energy of the crash and support the head-- so what you see here is it's got two things it's got a head restraint that's very tall as high as the top of the occupants head and it's very close which is very very good if you support the head yep you prevent the injury yeah the second thing is that this particular seat has down here got a trick mechanism that absorbs the energy of the crash so in the crash you are pushed along maybe at 10g but because this absorbs energy only maybe 7g is passed on to the occupant and reduces whiplash injury by with this particular seat something like 40% this is like a shock absorber basically and that's right and it's a very simple mechanism that can be replaced immediately after the crash there's a clear leader board when it comes to neck protection pay attention if you want to buy the best the best supermini is the Hyundai i20 with a score of three and a half out of five the best hatch is a Vauxhall Astra the best NPV is the Ford c-max the best SUV is the Skoda Yeti and the best big saloon is the Hyundai i40 the Honda CRV we saw crash earlier scored an excellent overall safety rating of five stars and a good whiplash score of three point four out of five so we now know how well plush is tested and we know which brand new cars are best at preventing it but what can we do to protect ourselves from it and our own cars let's get in the crew vehicle and have a look ok first of all don't recline your seat too much you might think you're a rude boy by putting this right back but if it's backed by more than 20 degrees it maximizes the distance between the back of your head and the headrest which means in an incident in a shunt you're more likely to get a strain secondly think about the height of your headrest what you're supposed to do is have the headrest top in line with the top of your head about other thirdly if your headrest adjusts forwards and backwards try and bring it out to meet the back of your head as much as possible if it's a small gap or your head resting on it it will absorb the impact and they'll be left it's not rocket science but it actually makes a big difference between a long-term injury and not those tips combined with Euro endcaps research and improved seat design should mean that injuries from whiplash start to fall that'll be good news for us because fewer injuries will lead to fewer compensation claims and maybe cheaper car insurance as a result you\n"