Whiplash, caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the spine, can lead to long painful and debilitating symptoms over many years. Although Whiplash is not uncommon in frontal and side impact accidents, it most frequently occurs in low speed, rear end collisions. Whiplash injuries are difficult to diagnose, difficult to treat and are estimated to cost the European society up to 10 billion Euro annually. The high frequency of whiplash injury, the personal suffering and the cost to European society have motivated Euro NCAP to integrate a rear impact test into its crash test programme.
While the mechanisms by which the injuries are caused are not fully understood, it is known that seat and head restraint design can influence the risk of injury. The test procedure applied by Euro NCAP therefore promotes the best practice in seat design, in particular good head restraint geometry, its ease of use as far as adjustment, the locking of the head restraint and the overall seat integrity.
The Whiplash score is based on both the geometrical aspects of the (driver/passenger) seat, the size and shape of the head restraint and its proximity to the occupant, as well as the seat and head restraint dynamic performance during an actual crash test. This dynamic performance is assessed using a seat mounted on a sled test, subjected to low, moderate and higher test severities representing a range of crash forces believed to cause injury. The whiplash score is included in the Adult Protection score as of January 2009.