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E-mail this ArticleUnder new federal safety standards, automakers will raise the minimum height of front-seat head restraints, design them closer to the driver's and passenger's heads, and provide mechanisms to lock adjustable ones in place.
The regulations will cover all cars, light trucks and vans made after Sept. 1, 2008, but automakers will begin to phase in upgraded designs sooner. In changing the federal requirements, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hopes to prevent more than 17,000 cases of whiplash annually. Every year, more than 270,000 people suffer from whiplash in crashes, making it the most common injury in rear-end collisions.
