Thus 460-1500 whiplashes eliminated could be thought of as a reasonable level of benefits per million dollars spent on whiplash protection. As positioned by the occupant Conclusions Effectiveness of head restraints Head restraints - both the integral and adjustable types have significantly reduced whiplash injuries in rear impact crashes. The restraints do not appear to have had any unforeseen benefits, such as reducing rear impact fatalities, nonwhiplash injuries, or forms of whiplash other than hyperextension. Integral versus adjustable restraints Integral seats are nearly twice as effective as adjustable restraints. The difference can be attributed to the failures by occupants to position their adjustable restraints correctly - current adjustable restraints, when left unextended, do not adequately protect a person of average height.
Integral seats are far less costly than adjustable restraints.
Integral seats eliminate about 5 times more injuries per dollar of cost than adjustable restraints. From our- analysis of auto sales data, it appears to us that the high sales of adjustable restraints, to a large extent, reflect customer preferences based on styling and comfort.