(1)
The best way to beat whiplash
DAVID COOPER/THE TORONTO STAR
Chad Heard of Volvo sits in a convertible with Volvo Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) seatbacks at the Canadian International AutoShow media preview day Thursday at the MetroToronto Convention Centre. In the event of a rear-end collison, seats tip backwards to cushion the blow and actually catch the person.
Only one, but it takes eight visits.
This joke relates to something that is no joke, that is one of the main reasons motorists visit chiropractors – to mitigate the effects of whiplash.
Even a relatively minor rear-end collision at a ridiculously low speed can cause the head to snap rearwards, hyper-extending the vertebrae in the neck.
As common as whiplash is, it still seems nearly untreatable, according to several people I know who suffer from it.
There must be agreed-upon statistics somewhere as to how much whiplash costs society, in terms of medical care, insurance premiums, lost time at work, pain and suffering.
Whatever the numbers, they are enormous.
I hate to sound callous, but by comparison, death is cheap.
If there were an inexpensive and simple technical solution to this issue, one that has been proven both in lab tests and empirically to be somewhere between 40 and 70 per cent effective at eliminating rear-ender-induced whiplash, you'd think parades would be held, Nobel prizes handed out, laws passed.
Not so's you'd notice.
The answer is active headrests, which in the event of a rear-ender, rotate forward to "catch" the head before it has time to move back far enough to cause this injury.
It is generally accepted that Saab was the first car company to introduce active headrests in 1997.
There are a couple of different designs; Saab's works on the simplest mechanical principle known – leverage.
A plate inside the upper portion of the seat back is attached to a pivot, then to the headrest. When the occupant's upper back is forced into the seat in the collision, the plate is also pushed rearward, and the headrest thereby pushed forward.
Almost as simple as falling off a chair.
Cheap as dirt, too. Minimal piece cost, no expensive sensors, no igniters, no electronics, no high-tech materials.
Just a smart and conscientious bit of design and engineering.
What's more, deployment of active headrests does not render them subsequently useless, unlike air bags or seatbelts.
Nor does their deployment destroy the rest of the car's interior, as air bag deployment typically does.
Some of the advantages of active headrests can be attained by better headrest design.
If the "static" position of the headrest is closer to the occupant's head, whiplash will probably be less severe.
But product planners I have spoken with about this issue say they get complaints, largely from women with ponytails, believe it or not, that this makes it uncomfortable to drive.
They cannot project the possibility of a lifetime of major discomfort.
No wonder; nobody sets out to have a crash.
There have been various attempts at hollowed-out headrests to reduce this concern.
They have the advantage of improving rearward visibility for the driver.
But the larger answer is just so simple.
Why hasn't every car company followed Saab's lead?
Some have, but most have not. Full credit to car companies like Kia who make them standard even on inexpensive models like the little Rio. What the hell is wrong with the rest of them?
Why are active headrests not mandatory?
Beats me. Ask Transport Canada.
Why aren't consumers clamouring for active headrests?
Again, beats me.
They rush to buy cars with side curtain air bags to protect rear-seat passengers in rollover crashes, when statistically, there is hardly ever anyone in the back seat, and rollovers are, again statistically, relatively rare.
There is always a driver in a car, and rear-enders are the most common type of crash there is.
Not that getting on the evening news should be a safety criterion. But if you are involved in a spectacular TV-newsworthy rollover, well, injury is almost to be expected.
To suffer for life because some idiot bumped into you at 15 km/h?
That just does not make sense.
Consumers: demand active headrests.
Do not even consider a new car that does not have them.
Car makers: make active headrests standard equipment on all models.
Governments around the world: make active headrests mandatory.
There are no excuses.
Woman's win over Honda opens door to mileage claim free-for-all
Video: Chevrolet Sonic a small car with a big car price
These four affordable, mid-size SUVs are worth a look
