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Volvo would like to save your neck!

7 June 1999

Volvo Head Restraints Receive Top Rating

 ROCKLEIGH, NJ – All Volvo cars available on the market today offer
among the industry’s best head restraints, according to the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This is the third year IIHS has
provided these ratings, and the third year every Volvo model’s head
restraint has been celebrated.

 According to IIHS, “A good design means the restraint is positioned
behind and close to the back of an occupant's head so it's where it
needs to be to provide protection in a rear-end crash."

 “Whiplash injuries are a focus for Volvo because the symptoms are
extremely painful and lasting. Additionally, whiplash is among the most
common and the single most expensive injury resulting from traffic
incidents in our society today,” according to William Shapiro, Director
of Safety for Volvo Cars of North America, Inc.

 Volvo’s head restraints are only one part of the company’s efforts to
combat whiplash and related injuries. The Whiplash Protection System
(WHIPS) recently debuted as standard equipment on Volvo’s new S80 sedan.
Based on two mechanical parts, the system is activated the moment the
car is hit from behind.

Other recent testing by IIHS confirms that WHIPS “does a better job than
even a good conventional seatback/head restraint combination in reducing
the sudden relative motion of the head and neck that causes many
whiplash injuries, “according to IIHS president Brian O’Neill.