Active Head Restraints For Driver Safety
Driving down the freeway, you suddenly come upon a deer which decides it is high time for him to run across the road. You swerve out of the way, missing the buck, but your car slams into the guard rail before coming to a hard stop. Your seat belt tightens, airbags open up, and thanks to active head restraints built into your seat, you are able to avoid the worst possible neck injury.
Many car companies have rolled out active head restraint including one major auto supplier, TRW. By offering a high degree of choice for vehicle manufacturers, the TRW active head restraint is independent of seat geometry and can be integrated into any headrest height adjuster with minimal impact to the seat. The design can be adapted to a variety of seating supplier designs and works independently of occupant size and seating position. Furthermore, the TRW design is reversible and easily resettable by drivers at no cost, as opposed to other designs that require a dealership visit for service or replacement.
"Our new active head restraint system has several advantages over typical systems now in vehicles," according to Charlie Steffens, Director of Safety Systems Technology for TRW Occupant Safety Systems. "The AHR system is designed to help slow the velocity of the head as it moves backward in a crash scenario. This can help to reduce the chances of whiplash forces acting on the occupant. Combining the TRW AHR with crash sensing systems, one can achieve excellent delta-V and threshold discrimination in a variety of rear impact events. TRW testing has shown excellent results in FMVSS, IIHS, and EuroNCAP test configurations. And the AHR allows for a larger initial backset distance between the occupant's head and the backrest for occupant comfort.
"The TRW AHR contains fewer parts and in conjunction with our electronic control module comprises a system with less mass (up to 9 pounds less) than competitive seat integrated passive head restraint systems," Steffens continued. "TRW has used its considerable knowledge in the design and development of safety devices and its knowledge of biomechanics to produce what we feel is an elegant solution for active head restraint."
Volvo is a leader in head restraint technology, but thanks to the independent work of TRW and others, this technology can be brought to most any car on the road. By installing head restraints in your ride you can lower the risk of serious neck injury and keep your medical costs down accordingly.