DRIVERS AT RISK OF WHIPLASH

15 MILLION DRIVERS AT RISK OF WHIPLASH DUE TO BAD SEATING POSITIONS

Drivers who fail to wear seatbelts correctly are at risk of injury according to the British Osteopathic Association (BOA). While most people are fully aware that wearing a seatbelt saves lives, the majority are not aware that the way they sit in a car plays a huge part in their personal safety.

The results of a survey by the BOA has found over one in ten drivers (13%) sit too far back for their seatbelt to offer effective protection in a frontal crash. To be effective, the belt should be sitting over the bones of the pelvis and not the stomach preventing internal injuries and in contact with the shoulder to prevent serious neck injury. Sitting too far from the belt can often lead to submarining - where the occupant slips under the belt which can cause catastrophic injuries.
Half (45%), 15 million3, of all UK drivers do not drive in a position where their head is close enough to the head restraint or they sit too far back for their seatbelt to be effective, so that in an accident, they would be at risk of sustaining a serious whiplash injury. Furthermore, only 6% of people adjust the head restraint regularly, despite the fact that most people travel in a variety of vehicles (as drivers, passengers and in taxis for example) and half of all drivers surveyed (51%) said they never adjusted their head rest at all.
For the full survey findings please see www.osteopathy.org/OHJS6489921