International group releases results of seat and head restraint study

The Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) has just released Canadian results as part of an international study of seat and head restraints which shows that too many vehicles are rated poorly when it comes to this vital safety equipment. ICBC, as part of the International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG), found in its study that of 99 seat/head restraint combinations tested (which are available in 84 Canadian models), only 8 were rated as “good”, 17 were “acceptable” and 74 were “marginal” or “poor”.The tests included rating the head restraint based on geometry, as well as a stationary, rear-end impact crash test. More than half of all crash injuries involve the neck, and we know that vehicles with the best seat designs have up to 43% lower rates of this type of injury,” says John Gane, ICBC’s manager of vehicle safety and research. “There’s no reason why all auto manufacturers can’t design seats with this level of protection, and consumers should look for this feature when they buy a new car.”Among the top-rated cars are the Volvo S40, S60 and S80, Saab 9-2X and 9-3, Subaru Impreza, Jaguar S-Type and Volkswagen Beetle. Fellow IIWPG member, the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), found only 8 of its 73 seat/head restraints tested were rated good, while 16 were marginal. This means 49 were either marginal or poor, according to the IIHS. In the U.S., neck injuries from rear-end collisions cost insurers at least US$7 billion per year.The group plans to announce test results for pick-up trucks and SUVs at a later date.