For front-seat occupants, Autoliv has developed the anti-whiplash system, AWS, which has proven to be very effective in rear-end impact test. In a study by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, for instance, the Neck-Injury-Criterion (NIC) levels were reduced by approximately 50%, to levels that are deemed to be safe. These rear-end crash tests were performed at 15 mph or 24 km/h.
Autoliv's Anti-Whiplash Seat (AWS) is based on a yieldable backrest that tilts in a controlled way in a rear-end collision to absorb energy and reduce the occupant's forward rebound.
Rear-end collisions are rarely fatal, but they give rise to fully one quarter of all personal injuries - often with permanent impairment - and to extended sick-leave and inability to work. In addition to the human suffering, these injuries account in many countries for more than 50% of all insurance claims and costs for societies for personal injuries sustained by car occupants. |
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