Safest setting for headrest?

[compu_85]

I was reading the owner's manual again last weel. In the safety features section, it said to never recline the headrests.

Well... that got me thinking. I usually have the seatback reclined more then some people. With the headrest leaned all the way forward, I can just lean back and contact it.

But which would be safer in a crash? I've tried pressing hard against the headrest and it doesn't seem to move, and it's a lot further back when the headrest isn't reclined. Gotta think about crash safety, right?

-J

 

[nicklockard]

I always thought it should be adjusted so the top of the headrest contacts the head just at the base of the skull (below the round part of your noggin.) Also, this minimizes distance from your head to the headrest, meaning less impact force if you're rear-ended. I got rear-ended 3 years ago and it hurts like a mofo.

So I angle it all the way forward and then adjust the height accordingly.

 

[compu_85]

Ok, that's how I set mine. Just wondered.

-J

 

[stevesalick]

Seriously. I lean mine forward and low because it looks cool

 

[Slave2school]

I've thought about this a bunch too and wondered if forward is the best or not because it leaves a gap between your neck and the seat too and I always imagine my neck snapping like a twig... probably not though, it ins't really a sharp angle made by having it forward like that, but I'd like to see some crash test with different positions.

 

[bigEZ]

i'm not purporting to know the answer to this riddle, but does it not seem safer to have the headrest set so that when you lean you head back, the middle/flat part of you skull contacts the middle of the head rest? seems to me that if the base of your skull is contacting the top of the head rest, in a violent accident, where your head whips back, the head rest could snap your neck. maybe i'm misunderstanding the physics involved here.

 

[bigEZ]

question: do people drive around with their head always touching the head rest? is this possible? i had some snotty guy tell me he loved his beamer b/c the head rests were so comfortable, they fit his head perfectly. and i'm thinking, "i never even use mine, so who cares how confortable it is?"

 

[Slave2school]

lol, I should have searched first

http://www.safety-council.org/info/traffic/headrests.html

 

[stevesalick]

I really think it depends on how tall you are, your seat position, etc. For me, forward and low seems to work. Lean your head back, my headreast makes contact to the middle of my head. Is this wrong?

 

[Slave2school]

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/chiropractic_health_care/101027

 

[stevesalick]

Ditto. Those guys and their Bimmers. I would like one except then I would be one of those guys.

 

[GotDiesel?]

The old joke about the porcupine and the BMW driver comes to mind...

Let me know if you haven't heard of it.

 

[compu_85]

That last document says if it can be tilted forward, do it, so we're in the clear

-J

 

[Slave2school]

I havn'heard the joke, prolly too young, tell on.

Awesome, just make sure it is at the correct height then and we're good to go...man we must have some female intuition to get it so close to proper as well, based on the stats there

 

[tkindler]

Wait a minute...do you mean there is a way to adjust the headrest other than up & down?

 

[compu_85]

Yes, It tips forward and back.

Maby you can see it in this pic?

-J

 

[Slave2school]

Yes you can (or should be able to angle it front to back.

 

[jnecr]

Well guys.. I saw a report from a European car show, 5th gear it was maybe, and they said out of all the car manufacturers in the European Union Volkswagon was the worst for headrest safety design.

The reason being that no matter what tilt position you put the headrest into it will always move in an accident. The problem occurs in rear end accidents. Ones that you are stopped and a fairly quickly moving car comes up and hits you from behind. This can give horrible whiplash and even worse it can cause the spinal cord to disconnect from the brain stem. As the head is thrown back (really the rest of your body goes forward along with the car while the head remains in the same position) on to an improperly adjusted/designed headrest the head will roll overtop of the headrest causing it put immense pressure on the base of the neck where the brain stem is. The EU currently requires much more strict guidelines as to head rest design and I'm sure that MKV VWs have fixed the problems of safety in head rest design.

 

[Slave2school]

I hope so (that they fixed the issues) I don't want my brain stem to be severed in this car though.

 

[PDJetta]

I've noticed that you can not adjust the headrest nearer to your head. You can only adjust the height, and mine is at the top of its adjustment. You can pivot the headrest so it appears closer to your head, but like just mentioned, it will move back to its maximum distance during a rear-end impact. The problem is most pronounced when you recline the seat back from verticle for a little additional (head) room, like I do since I am tall. This increases the distance from the headrest to the head.

I would hope there are safety standards in place to design headrests, but apparently not.

Its like the sign on the roller coaster ride "Keep head firmly against head rest" with this in mind, when I am stopped at a light, I try to watch the car approaching from behind, and if it were to appear a rear-end impact was inevatable, I would rest my head against the headrest.

In my '85 A2 jetta, my head was a heck of alot closer to the headrest when the rest was raised.

--Nate

 

[weedeater]

IIRC, some company sells pads that can be attached to the headrest in order to decrease the distance between head and rest.

 

[jbleu101]

Headrest safety

I wonder if using the beetle headrest would help? They are stationary, but they would still not be any closer to the occupants head. The one A4 I rode in that had them, I did not think they were very comfortable...then again, it was not a bimmer. I hope the guy comes back and tells the bimmer porcupine joke!


Jeff

 

[hank miller]

Hmm... the salesman at the dealer told me this was a safety feature - the head rest moves forward in a rear-end so that your head does not fly back.

I have no clue about the issue. It would be wise to find someone who knows before we go too far in speculation.

 

[WDM]

I always thought it should be adjusted so the top of the headrest contacts the head just at the base of the skull (below the round part of your noggin.) Also, this minimizes distance from your head to the headrest, meaning less impact force if you're rear-ended. I got rear-ended 3 years ago and it hurts like a mofo.

OMG man, you're lucky not to be doing a Christopher Reeve impersonation for real.

I notice lots of people with mal-adjusted headrests, I'm a big guy and the comfort and ergonomics of the Jetta with everything extended (headrest and steering column fully extended, seat back to last stop, etc.) is one of the things that sold me on the car.

 

[nicklockard]

OMG man, you're lucky not to be doing a Christopher Reeve impersonation for real.

I notice lots of people with mal-adjusted headrests, I'm a big guy and the comfort and ergonomics of the Jetta with everything extended (headrest and steering column fully extended, seat back to last stop, etc.) is one of the things that sold me on the car.

I mean about 1-2 millimeters below that hump at the back of your head...not at the neck. I mean the headrest touches the base of my skull....hmmm...this one is hard to explain. I think you're not getting it.

FYI: I got rear-ended in a 1984 Renault which had unbelievably horrible ergonomics which greatly contributed to my pain. Those headrests were essentially useless as they were positioned very far back and would only stop head movement AFTER your head had nearly snapped off of your neck...well, that's 1984 technology for you

 

[WDM]

I think I know what you mean... The headrest should be high enough to fully support the head in the event of a rear-ender or similar impact. The head weighs 10-15lbs and during the abrupt force of an impact the inertia of the head will roll it right over the headrest if it can, possibly breaking the neck, tearing the brain stem or something equally as ugly. The headrest isn't there to support the neck but to keep the head from ending-up in the back seat during a severe rear end impact. How well it actually accomplishes this is unknown to me, I hope I never have to field test it. I realize where you have it is probably quite comfortable for everyday driving but in a serious rear-end accident, well, it sends shivers up my spine. I'd try to position that hump in the center of the headrest cushion if it is agreeable, that's where my hump is , that would be ideal in terms of protection if not in comfort.

 

[nicklockard]

I think I know what you mean... The headrest should be high enough to fully support the head in the event of a rear-ender or similar impact. The head weighs 10-15lbs and during the abrupt force of an impact the inertia of the head will roll it right over the headrest if it can, possibly breaking the neck, tearing the brain stem or something equally as ugly. The headrest isn't there to support the neck but to keep the head from ending-up in the back seat during a severe rear end impact. How well it actually accomplishes this is unknown to me, I hope I never have to field test it. I realize where you have it is probably quite comfortable for everyday driving but in a serious rear-end accident, well, it sends shivers up my spine. I'd try to position that hump in the center of the headrest cushion if it is agreeable, that's where my hump is , that would be ideal in terms of protection if not in comfort.

Hmmmm, good point: I'm probably not getting humped enough

 

[vwestlife]

FYI: I got rear-ended in a 1984 Renault which had unbelievably horrible ergonomics which greatly contributed to my pain. Those headrests were essentially useless as they were positioned very far back and would only stop head movement AFTER your head had nearly snapped off of your neck...well, that's 1984 technology for you

At least you weren't driving a 1984 Dodge Caravan, which didn't have any front headrests at all -- back then, "trucks" weren't required to have them.

IMO, one of the safest headrest designs was from Mercedes in the 1970s. These look like they have "horns" when positioned upright, but when raised up and tilted forward, as they ideally should be, the "horns" serve to cradle your head in the event of an impact, protecting you from side-to-side whiplash as well as front-to-back whiplash.

 

[GotDiesel?]

The joke

I havn'heard the joke, prolly too young, tell on.

In case you hadn't heard the joke....

Q. What's the difference between a porcupines and BMW drivers?

A. On the porcupines, the pricks are on the outside.