Lund Auto Accessories

87 models evaluated, 21 received the highest rating, according to results released Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Fifty-four vehicles, 62 percent failed the test, which assesses the extent to which the head and neck to prevent whiplash when the vehicle is struck from behind.

The Institute evaluated current vehicle models based on geometric measurements of head restraints and their performance in a crash simulation sled. Fifty-four vehicles were considered marginal or poor, the two lowest rankings, and a dozen received the second highest score of acceptable. Twenty-one received the highest rating of good.

"Every day, you're more likely to need a good head restraints for protection against neck injury that you're an air bag to protect you in a frontal collision," said David S. Zuby, Vice- senior vice president of Central Research Institute of vehicles. "People do not think too much about the clashes that can cause neck pain for weeks or months after the accident."

Head restraints in passenger vehicles, protection of several marginal or poor against neck injuries, the Institute reported Thursday. Only 22 of the 75 vehicles tested in a simulated rear crash at 20 mph has received a rating of good in the Institute.

Overall, reported The Early Show correspondent Susan Koeppen consumption, 60 percent of cars tested below give you the protection you need. Nearly two of three models were assessed fair or poor. neck injuries are the most common injuries, reported in car accidents, "she added.

"People think of head restraints as head rests, but they are not. They're important safety features," said Adrian Lund, president of the Institute. "You're more likely to need the protection of a headrest while the other safety devices in your vehicle because rear-end collisions are so common."

Bill Kwong, a spokesman for Toyota Motor Corp., said the test does not take into account other aspects of the response of a vehicle accident in normal driving conditions, such as the structure vehicle, rear bumpers and crumple zones. "We believe that our internal procedures are good predictors of how it will happen in the real world," said Kwong. "We feel our test procedures are good predictors of how the restrictions on our head or head will protect occupants against neck injuries in rear-end accidents. "

The institute said the simulated rear crashes at 20 miles per hour showed that many large vehicles below in the protection against neck injuries, which led to two million insurance claims a year costs at least $ 8.5 billion. "This is not a feat of engineering to design seats and head restraints that afford good protection in these common crashes," said Zuby.

"We are seeing some improvement, but not in all areas," said Lund. "We have a lot of vehicles out there that we rate as marginal poor. In fact, 59 percent of SUV trucks and vans that we evaluated, we gave marginal or poor rating for their whiplash protection. "

Several automakers defended their methods of testing for rear crash protection. DaimlerChrysler noted that many vehicles were designed before the Institute began conducting the tests. General Motors said it designs head restraints "to meet a variety of driver sizes rather than focusing on a single set of parameters in all GM vehicles." The company added that it is to ensure the quality of head restraints on how they ensure the reliability of the shield bug Saturn auto parts and other accessories.

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