You might think that this new twist on an old phrase would be easy enough to obey -- always be in a vehicle with a good headrest system. And, since the government mandates headrests, the ones in our vehicles should protect us, right?
Truth be told, most headrests are better than the alternative (nothing at all) -- they do provide some protection. But if you want to avoid winding up in ICU with a brain injury, take a look at the latest crash tests spotlighting head restraints, prepared by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a group run by a consortium of automotive insurance companies.
These test found that nearly two-thirds of SUVs, vans, and pickups tested performed poorly in crash tests designed to assess potential neck injuries. In fact, 54 vehicles were rated "Poor" or "Marginal" as a result of these tests.
Pickup trucks seemed to be the ones at greatest risk; only one truck, the Toyota Tundra, earned the best rating, "Good." By contrast, SUVs have improved their neck-injury ratings; last year, only six SUVs tested got a "Good" rating, whereas this year, the number has increased to 17 SUVs. The next-highest rating, "Acceptable," was awarded to 12 such vehicles.
Neck injuries caused by ill-performing headrests can be costly; in the U.S., claims for whiplash (the most common result of a typical rear-end collision) total 2 million per year, with the total bill adding up to $8.5 million.
Stationary vehicles were tested by having another object moving at 20 mph impact the rear of the vehicle. If the head restraint touched the dummy's head rapidly, and the forces on the dummy's neck and the torso acceleration were low, vehicles were awarded a higher rating.
Vehicles with the highest rating of "Good" include the Acura MDX and RDX (pictured); Lincoln MKX, Ford Edge and Ford Freestyle; and Subaru B9 Tribeca and Forester.
Vehicles heading up the rear of the pack, with "Poor?" ratings, include the BMW X3 and X5; Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer; and the Toyota 4Runner and Highlander.
Ratings on additional vehicles can be found at the link below. Our take? Though most of us take headrests for granted, you should at least give the IIHS ratings as much consideration as airbags if not more so.