City car drivers 'more likely to get whiplash'
Date: 30/04/2008 12:00:00
Drivers of so-called city cars could be facing serious whiplash injury in the event of a low-speed rear-end collision, according to the latest research.
Thatcham, also known as the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, said that no city cars achieved a good rating in its latest round of tests, which the organisation mentions is a “blow” to drivers looking for low emission, economical vehicles.
“City cars are not equipped to protect their occupants' necks when they have to absorb the crash energy from larger, heavier vehicles which combined with poor seat design makes whiplash far more likely,” said Matthew Avery, research manager of crash at Thatcham.
Mr Avery added that good seat design should not “be inherently linked to higher value cars” and said he hoped the research would encourage manufacturers to address seat design in this growing sector.
The group has given its seal of approval to Audi, Saab and Volvo, with “commitment to safe seat design” across the manufacturers' ranges noted.
Last year, Thatcham revealed that crash repair bills of motorists have risen by more than £2 billion a year due to ineffective bumpers.