Whiplash

15 MILLION DRIVERS AT RISK OF WHIPLASH DUE TO BAD SEATING POSITIONS

Drivers who fail to wear seatbelts correctly are at risk of injury according to the British Osteopathic Association (BOA).

The results of a survey by the BOA has found over one in ten drivers (13%) sit too far back for their seatbelt to offer effective protection in a frontal crash. To be effective the belt should be sitting over the bones of the pelvis and not the stomach, to prevent internal injuries, and in contact with the shoulder to prevent serious neck injury. Sitting too far from the belt can often lead to submarining - where the occupant slips under the belt, which can cause catastrophic injuries.

Half (45%), 15 million, of all UK drivers do not drive in a position where their head is close enough to the head restraint or they sit too far back for their seatbelt to be effective, so that in an accident they would be at risk of sustaining a serious whiplash injury. Head restraints work by catching and supporting the head in the event of a rear end crash and so reduce the chance of permanent soft tissue damage. A correctly adjusted head restraint should be as close to the back of the head as possible and as high as the top of the occupant's head.

Receiving a serious chest injury as a result of being hit by an airbag during an accident is also a very real possibility for one in seven drivers (14%) who admitted sitting too close to the steering wheel. Drivers with a gap of less than 12 inches between themselves and the steering wheel when driving, are at risk of receiving the full force of an airbag deploying in a crash involving the front of the vehicle.