This study examines in detail some of the factors associated with soft tissue neck injuries in the UK. The data were drawn from a retrospective study of vehicle crash injuries in which the overall soft tissue neck injury rate was 16%. This study shows how although it is commonly assumed that soft tissue neck injuries are a rear impact phenomenon, over 50% of the injuries actually occur in frontal crashes and over 25% in side impact crashes. In both front and rear impacts, these injuries are asociated with seat-belt use. The incidence of soft tissue neck injury has been shown to double over the ten-year period of the study with the effect more prominent in females. Females (21%) overall are more at risk of sustaining soft tissue neck injury compared to males (13%). In all cases, such injuries are more likely to be self-reported than clinically diagnosed. 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