How To Use Your Car’s Headrest For Safety

How To Use Your Car’s Headrest

Your car’s headrest serves an important function. Apart from the airbags and seatbelts, the headrest is another essential safety feature in a car.

The headrest, also known as head restraint, is not just a car component to make your driving comfortable. It is designed by carmakers to provide optimal support for your neck and your spinal cord. This support is especially needed during a collision, or when you step on your breaks suddenly.

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When your car is suddenly hit from behind, your head naturally extends backwards before being thrown forward. If your head is unsupported, this can result in what is known as a whiplash injury. This is where your headrest comes in.

However, you need to make sure that your headrest is positioned correctly; otherwise, its purpose will be defeated.

How Do You Position Your Head Rest?

A headrest that is positioned too low increases your risk of sustaining a serious whiplash injury.

Therefore, to protect yourself, the ideal position should be at least as high as the top of your head. That is, at least, about the same level as the top of your ears. Then also, the back of your head should be around 2 inches away from the front of the headrest or as close to it as possible.

In other words, it should be high enough and near enough that, it can properly (and comfortably) support your head.

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Here’s how it’s done:

• • Headrests should ideally be positioned two inches or less from the rear of the driver’s head, and never more than four inches
  • When adjusting for height, the bulk of the headrest should stand directly behind the driver’s head, at least at ear-level
  • In the event of a collision, you want the head restraint to contact your head first – not your neck

When a head restraint is well-positioned, if a rear-end collision occurs, your headrest will be able to stop or at least limit the backward movement of your head, cushioning it and literally saving your neck from being injured.

So ensure to always have your headrest well positioned. This can protect you from having a neck injury that can potentially result in a lifelong discomfort due to lack of mobility and recurring episodes of neck and back pain.

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