Neck injury news
09/11/2010

Re-adjust your head rest to help prevent whiplash

Recent research has shown that many drivers are at risk of suffering a whiplash injury and internal injuries, in the event of a car accident, because they do not wear their seatbelts correctly.

A poll by the British Osteopathic Association (BOA) found that in a head-on crash, 13% of UK drivers do no sit in the position which would permit their seatbelt to work efficiently.

To prevent internal injuries the belt should go over the pelvic bones, and not the stomach. In order to stop whiplash injury or neck injury, the strap should sit across the shoulder.

According to the BOA, the danger caused by the poor positioning of seatbelts is mainly because the driver or passenger is sitting too far back in their seat.

In the cases of 1,435 adults, the cause of whiplash injury was found to be a badly adjusted head restraint resulting in the person's head being too far away to receive protection from it.

Danny Williams, a council member in the BOA, explained that although most people are fully aware of the benefits of wearing a seatbelt when involved in an accident, "The majority of us don't know that the way we sit in a vehicle also plays a huge part in our safety and wellbeing."

So, the osteopaths' advice is in order to avoid whiplash injury, people should change their sitting habits and re-adjust their seat.