This paper examines whether the fitting of head rests to the front seats of motor vehicles should be made a standard practice. The results were as follows: it is undisputed that head rests afford protection in accordance with present findings. This protection lies in the reduction or elimination of accident consequences for front seat occupants in the case of rear end collisions and can also apply to front seat occupants involved in frontal collisions. The current design used for head rests has certain disadvantages. These can, however, be eliminated with the aid of specific technical measures. Among the disadvantages of head rests are their tendency to block the view, technical faults such as incorrect fitting and the limitations caused in the case of extrication. A cost-benefit analysis indicates that head rests will not prove economical until they are shown to offer greater advantages. At present, there is no conclusive basis for the implementation of a law enforcing the fitting of head rests in motor vehicles.
Samenvatting