Women are more at risk of whiplash in a rear shunt because of their seating position, according to a study.
A Swedish study found that the way women adjust their seat left them more susceptible to whiplash. The study by Bertil jonnson at Umea University found that women sat higher and closer to the steering wheel and with more upright back rest leaving them at more risk of neck injuries in rear-end collisions. The study looked at data from a Swedish insurance company and also compared men and women’s seating positions with certain types of crash test dummy.
The study called for female testing dummies to improve the situation arguing that some current dummies and the standards dictating seating positions during testing reflect male stature and seating positions.
Legal & Medical asked Sheila’s Wheels, who specifically provide insurance for women, whether the study would be cause for concern for insurers, or increase premiums, a spokeswomen said:
“If there was a study in the UK which highlighted something similar then it would be a cause for concern and as an insurer specialising in insurance for women, we would be keen to help raise awareness to women of any such studies and provide them with support / tips / advice on how to best sit in a car to help prevent the extent of whiplash injuries.”
Speaking to Legal & Medical a spokesman for MIRA Ltd, who carry out international safety tests, maintained that there are crash test dummies representing the female population and that the seating positions dummies are tested in are those prescribed by legislation, such as EU directives. He also said:
“We have filmed from bridges for instance and observed people’s seating positions. There are huge variations country to country, depending on the time of day and other factors, not just between male and female drivers.
“We also test ‘out of position’ for instance with arms or even legs out of the window.
“It could be that women aren’t adjusting their seating to the right position.
“We are looking at research work at the moment to produce cars that could sense the size of the occupant and automatically make adjustments accordingly.”
Speaking to Legal & Medical a Royal Society of Accident Prevention explained that head rests can play a big part in reducing the risk of whiplash regardless of overall seating position (which has been backed up by UK studies). The spokeswomen said:
"We encourage people to ensure that their head restraint is properly adjusted every time the car is used if there are different drivers using it.
“This helps prevent whiplash by reducing the distance between the back of the head and head restraint, stopping the neck from bending back on impact.”
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