Neck Injuries in the UK Co-operative Crash Injury Study

This study examines some of the factors associated with soft tissue neck injuries in the UK. The data were drawn from a retrospective study of vehicle crash injuries in which the overall soft tissue neck injury rate was 16%. This study shows how although it is commonly assumed that such injuries are a rear impact phenomenon, over 50% of the injuries occur in frontal crashes. In front and rear impacts, these injuries are undoubtedly associated with seat-belt use. The incidence of neck injury has been shown to double over the ten-year period of the study with the effect more prominent in females. Such injuries are also more likely to be self-reported than clinically diagnosed. Head restraints have not been found to mitigate neck injuries in either front or rear impacts at a statistically significant level. A slight but non-significant trend towards reduced neck injury rates is observed in cases of seat back yielding in a rear impact.