Whiplash Injuries Reduced by up to 54 Percent
Armed with a four year study by Volvo Car Corporation of Sweden verifying that its cars and SUV reduce whiplash injuries by up to 54 percent, Volvo Cars of Canada Ltd. president Paul Cummings is petitioning insurance companies for a cut in rates at the customer end.
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| After a four year study by Volvo Car Corporation at their Volvo Cars Safety Centre, they have verified that their Whiplash Protection System reduces injuries by up to 54 percent. (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
Cummings stated in his written letter to all Canadian auto insurer presidents and CEOs, "If those who drive and ride in Volvo cars suffer fewer and less severe injuries than others and the evidence is irrefutable then, in all fairness, their insurance premiums should be lower".
Volvo's WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System) is on record for reducing short term "soft tissue injuries", seven out of ten of which are whiplash related, by up to 33 percent and long term injuries topping 54 percent, according to the Volvo study. Whiplash, an injury caused by the head quickly moving forward on the neck and then snapping backwards, is most often caused by rear-end collisions.
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| Clive the crash test dummy gives a thumbs-up at the reveal of the Volvo/Ford Motor Company Safety Concept car. (Photo: Ford Motor Company) |
It will be interesting to see the various insurance firms responses, as the industry on the whole have partially blamed Canada's steadily increasing insurance premiums on the continuing and climbing cost of "soft-tissue injuries."
In his letter Cummings highlights that independent studies have met similar conclusions regarding the WHIPS system, including the U.S.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that approximated WHIPS injury reduction at 49 percent.