Viano D C, Gargan M F
Research and Development Center, General Motors Corporation, Warren, MI, USA.
Accid Anal Prev. 1996 Nov;28(6):665-74. doi: 10.1016/s0001-4575(96)00011-5.
The gap and relative height of headrest behind drivers were determined for 1915 vehicles approaching an intersection on a two lane road. Vehicle type and headrest adjustment were also evaluated using film of normal driving taken by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Only 10% of drivers had headrests in the most favorable position to prevent neck extension during a rearend crash. 73% of cars had adjustable headrests, but only a quarter were placed in the up position. 83% of the adjustable headrests could have been raised to better protect the driver. Hyge sled tests were run to determine biomechanical responses for the various conditions observed in normal driving. This included three headrest heights and three gaps behind the head. Neck extension from the Hybrid III dummy was normalized to the response for a high, close headrest, and injury risk was assumed to be proportional to neck extension. The current driving situation has a relative injury risk of 3.4 in rearend crashes, compared to 1.0 for the favorable condition. If all adjustable headrests were placed in the up position, the relative risk would be lowered to 2.4, a 28.3% reduction in whiplash injury risk. Public education and vehicle design should address the importance of proper headrest placement for driving safety.
对1915辆在双车道道路上接近十字路口的车辆，测定了驾驶员后方头枕的间隙和相对高度。还利用美国公路安全保险协会拍摄的正常驾驶影片，对车辆类型和头枕调节情况进行了评估。在追尾碰撞中，只有10%的驾驶员的头枕处于最有利于防止颈部伸展的位置。73%的汽车配备了可调节头枕，但只有四分之一处于升起位置。83%的可调节头枕本可以升高以更好地保护驾驶员。进行了Hyge雪橇试验，以确定在正常驾驶中观察到的各种情况下的生物力学反应。这包括三种头枕高度和头部后方的三种间隙。将Hybrid III假人的颈部伸展情况与高且靠近的头枕的反应进行归一化处理，并假定受伤风险与颈部伸展成正比。与有利条件下的1.0相比，当前驾驶情况在追尾碰撞中的相对受伤风险为3.4。如果所有可调节头枕都处于升起位置，相对风险将降至2.4，鞭打损伤风险降低28.3%。公众教育和车辆设计应关注正确放置头枕对驾驶安全的重要性。
