Crash tests of several automakers reveal poor anti-whiplash protection

The Institute for Highway Safety tested 73 cars, but only eight of them recieved an overall good rating.

Most &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/18/89/355/11826_car.html' target=_blank>cars do a poor or marginal job protecting passengers from whiplash injuries in a rear-end crash, according to crash tests of several models. Of 73 cars tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, only eight received an overall good rating. IIHS, an &to=http://english.pravda.ru/main/2001/02/13/2490.html' target=_blank>insurance industry group, says that while rear-end crashes might not be the most deadly accidents, whiplash and other injuries from such collisions account for at least $7 billion in insurance claims each year in the USA, reports USA Today.

According to New York Times, Mr. Lund said in a telephone interview that the new results were based on more rigorous testing. For the first time, the institute conducted crash simulations, he said. "The big thing that's happened here is we've raised the bar."

According to the institute, a safe restraint must be close enough to a passenger's head so that the device cradles the head during a collision and prevents it from accelerating at a different rate than the torso. When the head and torso move at different rates, the neck is strained and whiplash can result.