AUTOMOBILE HEAD RESTRAINTS-FREQUENCY OF NECK INJURY INSURANCE CLAIMS IN RELATION TO THE PRESENCE OF HEAD RESTRAINTS

THE STUDY SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 67,143 INSURANCE CLAIMS; THE MANUAL SEARCH OF THE FILES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE CLAIMS LED TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF 6,833 STRUCK CARS MEETING THE STUDY CRITERIA. FOR THESE CLAIMS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS OF DATA WERE RECORDED FOR EACH FORWARD CAR: MODEL YEAR, MANUFACTURER, SEX OF THE DRIVER, AND WHETHER ANY TYPE OF NECK OR BACK INJURY WAS CLAIMED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS AN 18 PERCENT REDUCTION IN THE FREQUENCY OF CLAIMED NECK INJURIES TO DRIVERS (BOTH SEXES COMBINED) IN CARS WITH HEAD RESTRAINTS AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT WHEN COMPARED WITH THE FREQUENCY FOR DRIVERS IN CARS WITHOUT HEAD RESTRAINTS AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT. SIMILAR RESULTS BY SEX OF DRIVER ARE ALSO PRESENTED. AN ANALYSIS BY MANUFACTURER REVEALED DIFFERENCES SIMILAR TO THE OVERALL PATTERN, BUT THE NUMBERS OF OBSERVATIONS WHEN DIVIDED INTO THESE VARIOUS SUBGROUPS WERE GENERALLY TOO SMALL TO SUPPORT FIRM CONCLUSIONS. THE RESULTS OF A VISUAL SURVEY OF DRIVERS IN 4,983 MOVING DOMESTIC PASSENGER CARS WITH ADJUSTABLE HEAD RESTRAINTS IN THE LOS ANGELES AND WASHINGTON, D. C. METROPOLITAN AREAS INDICATED THAT IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA, 74 PERCENT OF THE MALE DRIVERS AND 57 PERCENT OF THE FEMALE DRIVERS HAD THE HEAD RESTRAINTS IMPROPERLY POSITIONED WHILE IN THE WASHINGTON, D. C. AREA 93 PERCENT OF THE MALES AND 80 PERCENT OF THE FEMALES HAD THE RESTRAINTS IMPROPERLY POSITIONED. THE STUDY IS CONCLUDED WITH A DISCUSSION OF PREVIOUS RESEARCH ON WHIPLASH INJURIES AND HEAD RESTRAINTS.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00900036
• Corporate Authors:

  American Public Health Association

  1740 Broadway
  New York, NY  United States  10019
• Authors:
  • O'Neill, B
  • HADDON, W
  • Kelley, A B
  • Sorenson, Willy W
• Publication Date: 1972-3

Media Info

• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 309-406
• Serial:
  • American Journal of Public Health
  • Volume: 62
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: American Public Health Association
  • ISSN: 0090-0036
  • EISSN: 1541-0048
  • Serial URL: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/loi/ajph

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deployable head restraints; Headrests; Injuries; Insurance; Insurance claims; Loss and damage claims; Neck; Whiplash
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00222067
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 30 1973 12:00AM