In this study some of the factors associated with soft tissue neck injuries in the United Kingdom are examined. The data were drawn from a retrospective study of vehicle crash injuries in which the overall soft tissue neck injury rate was 16%. It is shown how although it is commonly assumed that such injuries are a rear impact phenomenon, over 50% of the injuries occur in frontal crashes. In front and rear impacts, these injuries are undoubtedly associated with seat belt use. The incidence of neck injury has been shown to double over the ten-year period of the study with the effect more prominent in females. Such injuries are also more likely to be self-reported than clinically diagnosed. Head restraints have not Head restraints have not been found to mitigate neck injuries in either front or rear impacts at a statistically significant level. A slight but non-significant trend towards reduced neck injury rates is observed in cases of seat back yielding in a rear impact. (A)
Abstract