PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF AUTOMOBILE HEAD RESTRAINTS

ACCIDENT CASES INVOLVING CARS WITHOUT HEAD RESTRAINTS ARE COMPARED WITH CARS HAVING THIS DEVICE TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HEAD RESTRAINTS, THEIR POSITION WHEN IMPACT OCCURRED, AND TO PROVIDE SOME DETAILS CONCERNING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OCCUPANT POSITION, SEAT BACK DAMAGE, AND CERVICAL INJURY. A REDUCTION IN NON-DANGEROUS CERVICAL INJURY WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HEAD RESTRAINT GROUP. HOWEVER, DUE TO SMALL NUMBERS THIS COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED, STATISTICALLY. APPROXIMATELY 73% OF THE ADJUSTABLE HEAD RESTS WERE IN THEIR LOWEST POSITION. THE POSITION OF THE OCCUPANT ON THE SEAT BACK WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER INJURY SEVERITY. /HSL/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Rept No SAE-720034
• Corporate Authors:

  Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, Incorporated

  4455 Genesee Street
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14221
• Authors:
  • GARRETT, J W
  • Morris, D F
• Publication Date: 1972

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 16 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Deployable head restraints; Headrests; Injuries; Passive restraint systems; Safety; Traffic crashes; Vehicle occupants; Whiplash
• Uncontrolled Terms: Motor vehicle accidents
• Subject Areas: Highways; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221741
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Literature
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 17 1972 12:00AM