All Volvo's car models tested by the International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group (IIWPG) were found in the best class. Volvo Car Corporation was the only manufacturer to have their entire range achieve the best class rating.
"We are very pleased that the Volvo cars have performed in line with our expectations", says Ingrid Skogsmo, Safety Director at Volvo Car Corporation."Tests only show a sliver of what happens in real life. However, this is one of several results that confirm Volvo has the right approach to help reduce neck injuries in rear impacts."
Volvo Car Corporation introduced Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS) in 1998. In the WHIPS system the entire backrest is designed to help protect the occupant's neck in a rear impact. Today WHIPS is standard in all Volvo car models.
"After having the system in our cars in real life traffic for six years now, the feedback from Volvo Cars Accident Research Team shows that WHIPS has halved the risk of long-term neck injuries in rear-end impacts compared to prior Volvo seats. Also independent field studies have shown a significant injury reduction ", says Dr Lotta Jakobsson, Technical Expert, Biomechanics, Volvo Cars Safety Centre.
All in all 208 front seats were tested in the US and Europe by IIWPG to measure how the head restraints are designed and how they perform in a crash simulation where the seat is placed on a sled that reproduces a rear impact with a speed of 16 km/h (10 mph).
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