Car head restraints awareness urged

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27 August 2009 at 12:16

A road safety charity has urged for an awareness campaign on vehicle head restraints, as most motorists in the UK are found to use them improperly.

According to a survey by road safety charity charity Brake and Direct Line Car Insurance, two in three motorists in the UK do not know how to correctly position their restraints.

The top of the restraint should be level with the top of the head, but a majority of people think that the top of a head restraint should be level with the neck or ears, which is incorrect.

Again, as many as two-thirds of motorists said that they have never or rarely checked their restraints, with only one in seven drivers claiming to always check.

Incorrect head restraints could result in death, permanent disability, and in the more minor cases excruciating back and neck pain, Brake warned.

Its chief executive Mary Williams said: "Even if drivers did regularly check their head restraint, the research shows us that most drivers wouldn't have a clue whether it was correct or not, which largely explains why they don't bother."

Copyright © Press Association 2009

Links

Personal injury claims - http://www.rac.co.uk/personalinjury/personal_injury/

Brake - http://www.brake.org.uk/