Before driving off, check to make sure that your headrest is well adjusted. This will ensure maximum protection in the event of an accident.
If you are the only person who drives your car, you do not need to adjust your headrest regularly.
However, if you lend your vehicle, even if it is just for repairs at the auto shop, you should always take the time afterwards to make sure that the headrest is properly adjusted.
Headrests are often positioned too low, increasing the risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Recent studies have shown that a well-adjusted headrest can decrease the risk of whiplash by 28%.
Whiplash occurs mainly as a result of a vehicle being struck from the rear or the side by another vehicle. If the headrest is too low, the driver's head will be violently thrown back during a rear collision.
This can injure bones or soft tissue (neck sprain), which could cause the following symptoms:
To decrease the severity and frequency of head and neck injuries, every headrest in a vehicle should be adjusted according to each passenger's height.
To provide maximum protection, the headrest must not be more than 7 centimetres from the back of the head.
The middle of the headrest should be level with the eyes or the top of the ears.
Last update: May 27, 2022
