Millions risk whiplash - Introduction

Millions more motorists than expected could be at risk of painful and potentially lifelong whiplash injuries because of poor seat design.

That’s the verdict of experts at Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Association, which has just released results from the first crash tests of front seats.

Just 18 out of the 114 seats evaluated were rated good after the tests which replicated low-speed rear-end shunts – the most common accidents. Twenty-seven were rated as acceptable, 27 as marginal and 42 as poor.

Many cars were predicted to perform far better, but crucial weaknesses were exposed by the tests. These include the BMW 3-series, Jaguar X-type, Honda CR-V, Toyota Corolla, Renault Clio, Citroen C2 and C3, Mercedes C-class, Honda Jazz, Land Rover Freelander and Volkswagen Polo.

Matthew Avery, head of the test programme, said: ‘Manufacturers are certain to be embarrassed by our findings. They will have to make significant changes if they wish to really protect people in a car crash.’

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has reacted with caution to the results, which it thinks don’t present the whole picture. It criticised the fact that 25 of the seats included in the results received poor ratings based only on static appraisals and were not crash tested.

The SMMT says Thatcham has also skewed results by setting up head restraints in their middle, not optimum, position. It says most whiplash injuries would be avoided if motorists followed instructions in user manuals on how to position head restraints. The SMMT also says there is a lack of real-world accident data to back up the lab tests.

Click through the links to find out more about whiplash and to see how the models in each sector performed in the Thatcham trials.

If you’ve suffered from a whiplash injury in the past, What Car? would like to hear your story. Get in touch with abby.luckhurst@haynet.com.