A Heads Up on Head Restraints

When I bought my last new car, I spent a lot of time investigating safety features, such as bumpers and airbags. I didn't give any thought at all to the head restraints, and yet they're key in preventing the most common injuries – neck injuries from rear-end collisions. Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, says many head restraints are too low to provide adequate protection from whiplash. The restraint should at least come to the top of your ears (your head's center of gravity), and in general, higher is better. The distance between the restraint and the back of your head should be no more than 4 inches.

Car manufacturers, such as Saab, General Motors, Nissan and Volvo, are coming out with new seatback designs which have safer head restraints. For safety ratings of all late model cars, go to the Institute's website at www.hwysafety.org.