This paper reports a study in the early 1970s at the Highway Safety Research Centre of the University of North Carolina, USA. The study was part of an evaluation of the effectiveness of several vehicle safety systems, and was conducted in collaboration with the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Even then, North Carolina was far more advanced than any Australian State today with respect to the amount of useful data that the police routinely collected about road accidents. Vehicle safety systems were studied in selected countries around the state, and a supplementary data form was completed when an accident occurred. The police did not identify most people who later reported a neck injury when interviewed. 65% of drivers who later reported a severe neck injury were rated as 'uninjured' by police at the scenes of their accidents. There was a very strong association between vehicle damage severity and neck injury severity. Females were found to be significantly more susceptible to neck injuries than males in rear-end collisions. Older people were more likely to report a neck injury and that injury was more likely to be severe. There was some indication that fixed head restraints may have provided some protection against neck injuries, but insufficient evidence was obtained from adjustable head restraints.
Abstract