Do you have a feature in your car that you refer to as a “head rest”?It’s actually a head restraint, and it’s not there so you can “rest” your head. Head restraints are installed in vehicles for safety purposes and are as essential a safety feature as seat belts and air bags. Why? Because effective head restraints reduce the rearward motion of your head in a rear-end crash, decreasing the likelihood of whiplash injuries which cause painful, permanent damage to hundreds of thousands of people every year.
The key word here is effective, and head restraints are effective only if positioned properly – something many of us don’t know how to do. This takes only a few minutes, and may prevent a lifetime of disability:
- Sitting in your normal driving (or riding) posture, adjust the head restraint up or down until the center of the head restraint at least meets the center of the back of your head, or higher.
- If the head restraint adjusts forward and backward, position it as close to the back of the head as possible, ideally within three inches. This adjustment is called the “backset.”
- Each time you get into your car, check to be sure your head restraint and those of your passengers are positioned correctly.
- If you’re unable to adjust your head restraint correctly, consider purchasing an aftermarket head restraint add-on.
- When you’re researching a car purchase, check out the head restraint design along with other safety features. Web sites such as www.iihs.org (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) offer head restraint information and ratings.
While head restraints will never make the list of a vehicle’s “sexy” options, this important safety technology can save you from a chronic, life-changing injury.
