Vehicle improvements to reduce the number and severity of rear end crashes

Abstract

This report reviews vehicle technology developed to reduce the incidence of rear end crashes and the whiplash injuries that may result. Chapters cover: crash avoidance measures, passive safety measures built into improved seat and head restraint designs, assessment procedures that have been developed to assess the efficacy of various seat and head restraint designs in rear impacts, testing and assessment programs that are used to inform consumers of the relative performance of the seats in different models of vehicle and includes up-to-date information on the recently released EuroNCAP proposal to assess whiplash protection measures, the uptake of both seat-based whiplash countermeasures and also brake assistive technologies in Australia, and research on the costs and benefits of vehicle based measures to reduce rear end crashes and whiplash injury. Commentary is given on the opportunities for increasing the awareness of consumers in relation to vehicle based rear-end crash and whiplash countermeasures.