Soft tissue neck injuries sustained in rear-end impacts (so called "whiplash" injuries) are the most common type of injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents. In fact, in Canada, these injuries exceed all other types of injuries combined.

In support of efforts to reduce the incidence and severity of these types of injuries, criteria for adequate head restraint position have been developed based on minimum height and set-back requirements. The North American fleet of 1996 model vehicles was measured against these criteria and 79% of 148 vehicles failed to meet the minimum criteria. In order to enable accurate and repeatable measurements of head restraint position, a Head Restraint Measuring Device was used.

This paper reviews the design and use of this device. The device is useful for measurement and rating of current motor vehicles, support of current or proposed motor vehicle regulations, and design of future vehicles.