Samenvatting
One type of production car front seat with a head restraint was tested in simulated low velocity rear impacts using a Hybrid III dummy fitted with a modified neck (RID neck). The seat was modified in various ways to test the influence of different seat properties on the head-neck motion during the impact. The results show that it is possible to influence the head-neck kinematics to a great extent by modifying the properties of the seat back and the head restraint. It was possible to virtually eliminate the neck extension motion during the rear impact, and this will hopefully result in a significant decrease of the neck injury risk in real-world rear impacts. (A)