January 9, 2006
Pickups and S.U.V.'s Do Poorly in Whiplash Tests
By JEREMY W. PETERS NYT

DETROIT, Jan. 8 - New crash test results show that four of every five new sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks do not adequately protect occupants from whiplash in low-speed rear-end collisions.

The study, which examined head restraints in nearly all S.U.V.'s and pickups currently in production in the United States, found that only six S.U.V.'s earned the highest possible safety rating. No pickup trucks received a rating higher than "acceptable" in the study, which was released Sunday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

"People see S.U.V.'s and they think of them as being much safer than cars," said Adrian Lund, president of the institute. "Certainly with regard to head restraints, what our study is showing is many of them don't provide good protection from whiplash, which you might expect."

Some of the nation's top-selling S.U.V.'s and pickups were among those the institute rated the lowest. The Chevrolet Trailblazer, Ford Explorer, Dodge Ram pickup and Chevrolet Silverado pickup were all given the lowest possible rating.

Other models that performed poorly in the study were some of the more expensive S.U.V.'s, including the BMW X Series and both the Lexus RX 330 and GX 470.

The models that the study found best protected people from whiplash were the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestyle, Honda Pilot, Land Rover LR3, Volvo XC90 and Subaru Forester.

In conducting the study, the institute simulated a crash in which a stationary S.U.V. or pickup was rear-ended by a vehicle of a similar size going 20 m.p.h. Using a test dummy, the institute then measured the force of the impact on passengers' necks.

"In a crash like this, you want the seat and the head restraint to move the body and head forward together so the neck doesn't have to do the work for you," Mr. Lund said.

The insurance institute conducted a similar study of cars last year and found that most did not do a good job of preventing whiplash. That study examined 97 types of head restraints in cars sold in the United States, and concluded that three-fourths of the restraints provided either poor or marginal protection. Only eight restraints earned a rating of good.

Rear-end collisions are among the most common accidents. The insurance institute estimates that at least two million occur each year and account for more than $8.5 billion in insurance claims.

"These kinds of crashes occur all the time. We're seeing a lot of unnecessary injuries, so we'd like to see these vehicles do a better job of protecting necks," Mr. Lund added.

 

I really wish they would quit using vehicles of similar weight. Just make a standard weight by taking the average weight of the vehicles in the US. Then rear end them. Metal is metal. When you subject said metal to a force greater than the others, of course it will fair less favorably.

Hell, the MINI has a 5 star front end rating, but I tell you, I don't want to be in that vehicle when it gets T-Boned or in a front end collision! We have to start comparing apples to apples and using a standardized weight and not similar weights!

Sorry for the rant, but I just don't see the real world validity of this test unless I get rear ended by another Ram. I wonder what would happen to a MINI if it hit me at 20mph!

 

 

Sometimes it really boggles the mind how some of these numbers are generated for safety ratings. Here's a copied section from that article...

"The models that the study found best protected people from whiplash were the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Freestyle, Honda Pilot, Land Rover LR3, Volvo XC90 and Subaru Forester."

Did you notice that most, if not all are unibody vehicles. Half of them I would not consider a "Truck" or "SUV". Just because it has "AWD", does not make it a SUV. Of course a unibody is going to soften the blow from most collisions, but if hit hard enough, you might be crumpled inside the vehicle. I'll take my fully boxed frame over a unibody any day... you never know whats gonna hit you, it might bigger than you.

Also, the only reason those vehicles above are classified as SUV's, is because of the CAFE rating for fuel economy, but thats another issue.....

... just my 2 cents.

 

I'm still trying to understand how a vehicle with head rests (restraints) got nailed for causing whiplash? Did they even adjust the rests to fit the head of the dummy so it's head did not roll over the top? Mine hit securely in the back of my head not at the neck level.

I also am amused by how it's written: It's talking about whiplash and SUV's and trucks being unsafe interchangably like the head rest effects the safety of the vehicle. If the head rest doesn't fit, adjust it until it does but then how many people actually do that?

 

I don't know about the other vehicles listed,
but the Volvo XC90 does have a very special seat
with features to reduce whiplash injury.

 

I'm curious, how does it help with whiplash? All I can conclude is that the seats that don't do as well, have weaker adjustable mounts for the headrest. Do they bend back on impact due to the weight of the head?

 

a mini vs. a mini at 20mph....not too big of a deal....

a 5500lb truck hitting ANYTHING at 20mph is going to rock the hell out of it...DUH!!!

lol

I'll tell ya though...a month after i bought my truck...i backed into a telephone pole on my way to my house upstate (crowded gas station!!) and it was at around 9-10mph.....didnt even know i hit it really....it felt like a speed bump at most. but my bumper was pretty much finished!!! just got a new painted bumper within a couple of days....stupid 700 dollar mistake!!!!

Send a mini or even a small SUV into the back of the Ram at 20mph......the mini will be TOTALLED and the bumper on the ram might have to be replaced at most! lol


Tests are getting OUT of control.....go ahead and have them.....but in all seriousness...these tests do not mean squat for the most part. whiplash tests in a controlled environment with a vehicle stationary and the other moving at 20mph?? cmon. who is going to not see a stopped 6000lb mega cab in front of them!!!!

and whose to say real life situations will have an accident hitting perfectly squarely in the rear......whatever...

the next thing we will hear is how the sirius and XM in our cars will give us cancer from the signal....... just buy and drive.

 

I had precisely 351 miles on the odometer on my new Ram when I got rear-ended on the way home from work in December. I was stopped, and the '92 Camaro behind me locked up and probably hit me going between 25 and 30. I've gotta say it was a pretty good jolt - more than I would've expected, but my head DID hit the headrest, and though I was sore for that night, I was fine the next day. Damage to my truck - small dent and a couple scratches in the rear bumper, scratches on hitch and safety-chain tabs bent down. $954.65 to have bumper and hitch replaced at my local dealer.

The Camaro did not fare so well. My trailer hitch hit just to the left of center on his grille, tore the radiator into 3 pieces, pulled the front of his car up, folded the hood in half and then into the windshield, and then he finally stopped just before his engine block got to the hitch.

Anyway, I thought the truck did pretty well. I'm sure the same impact with a truck hitting me instead of a Camaro would've been much more violent, but I got lucky.

I take every piece of "data" that comes from the IIHS with a grain of salt (or two). Also, if you research a little bit (on their site), you'll see that most vehicles - trucks, cars, SUV's, or otherwise - fare just about the same in this test. I absolutely feel safe with my wife and 2 daughters in my truck. I'd much rather be rear-ended in a 7000lb truck than in a Chevy Cobalt (which got a good grade) any day of the week - ratings be damned!

IIHS Rear Impact Result Details

 

believe me, when you´re rammed from behind, you´ll probably do poorly, too!