The study compared the difference in whiplash injuries between people in 9-3 and 9-5 models with the active head restraint system and older 900 and 9000 models that don't have it.
No work was done on how the system (which is manufactured by the Lear seat company) affects whiplash injuries in the other models it's in, but researchers believe the findings would be fairly similar.
Along with new Saabs, a Lear spokesperson says, active head restraint can be found in Buick LeSabre, Oldsmobile Aurora, Pontiac Bonneville and some Nissan models.
"Whiplash is probably the most common of all road accident injuries," Viano noted, and can create an enormous social cost as well as a huge toll in pain and suffering.
In the US alone, Viano pointed out, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that whiplash injuries accounted for almost US$7 billion in insurance payments during 1997. It has been suggested that every insured vehicle in the US carries US$150 cost in whiplash insurance coverage.
 A pressure plate pushes the head restraint up and forward |
Stefan Olsen, Saab's safety development engineer, explained why Saab's system worked better than traditional head restraints.
"Most people using a conventional head restraint do not actually position it high enough," Olsen said, "so that in an rear-end impact the neck and head will simply pivot around it, making matters worse.