December 6th, 2007

Cyclist in fatal collision with a pedestrian on the pavement

Thatcham new car whiplash and seat safety ratings for 2007

Thatcham, the motoring organisation that focuses on vehicle safety in the UK, issue annual summaries of their analysis on the safety of new vehicles. One key area is the safety measurements relating to the seats which are supposed to be designed to help avoid whiplash injuries in the event of an accident.

With more and more people considering making a whiplash claim after being involved in a road accident, the whole issue of neck / spine safety has come to the fore. Manufacturers are now very keen to promote safety in terms of the NCAP ratings or the durability of their vehicles. However whiplash is usually deemed to be an inevitable consequence of being involved in an incident on the road.

2007 results show that huge strides in car seat safety have been made with 80% of vehicles achieving a good or acceptable rating.  

The Honda CRV has come out on top of the ratings following a poor showing when the last model was introduced.

In 2005 only 16% of car seats tested received a good score. To reach 80% suggests that manufacturers have been taking the issues very seriously which can only benefit the consumer.

If they have the technology, why not implement it to safeguard the vehicle occupants. Safety conscious motorists can rest assured that vehicles are becoming safer with every generation of new ranges being released.

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