Head Restraint Backset During Routine Automobile Driving: Drivers Usually Exceed the Recommended Guidelines

Abstract

Objective: Although several previous studies have evaluated horizontal head restraint backset distances, few studies have evaluated them during driving. The purpose of this study was to measure this backset during routine automobile driving and to specifically evaluate the backset during individual driving tasks such as turning, stopping, starting, and lane changes.

Methods: Fourteen subjects drove around a specified route through the city of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, that included residential, thruway, and highway driving; additional minor driving tasks, such as lane changes, were evaluated. The distance of head restraint to posterior aspect of the head was measured continuously throughout the drive using an ultrasonic measurement system. The timing of specific tasks was documented using a video camera.

Results: The average head-to-restraint distance throughout the driving route was 78.1 mm (standard deviation [SD] 24.8 mm); this distance did not vary significantly between the global measures during various driving areas (residential, thruway, and highway). We observed that the head restraint backsets during right turns (93.6 mm; SD 34.8 mm) were significantly larger compared to the other driving tasks (p < .001). The 7 males and 7 females showed similar backset distances: 84.52 mm (SD 12.08) and 71.68 mm (SD 5.53), respectively (p = .0785).

Conclusions: We observed that most subjects maintain a relatively consistent head-to-restraint distance throughout their driving route; 2 subjects adopted very large head restraint backset distances throughout their drive and 2 others adopted very small head restraint backset distances—this appears to reflect driver posture. Twelve of 14 subjects had average backset distances that exceed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard guidelines, indicating that most drivers may be at risk for whiplash-like disorders if exposed to a rear impact while driving. Of the monitored driving tasks, turning, especially right turns, caused drivers to increase their head-to-restraint backset distance.

Keywords:

• Head restraint
• Backset
• Spine
• Rear impact
• Whiplash
• Driving

Acknowledgements

The research was sponsored by AUTO21 (one of the Canadian Federal Networks of Centres of Excellence [NCE] programs) and NSERC.