Are active head restraints a waste of money or reliable protection against the whip effect of a rear impact into the car? Like any development, active head restraints have a number of pros and cons. The choice is up to the car owner.
In critical situations involving a car, the best remedy for spinal injuries is active head restraints, hereinafter "head restraints". Their purpose is to reduce to a minimum the speed of movement of the head and neck towards the seat in the event of a collision with the car from behind.
I. Principle of operation
The principle of operation consists in the lightning-fast actuation of the spring of the lever mechanism, leading to a tight girth of the human head and fixing the immobility of the rest of the body. Active head restraints differ from the standard ones in the internal arrangement. Their advantage over stationary ones is the absence of constant adjustment.
The lightning speed of the head restraint system depends on the impact to the rear of the vehicle. The larger the blow, the faster the head restraints will work due to the human impact on the lever built into the back of the chair. The return of the spring to its initial position occurs after the interaction of the human body with the back of the seat decreases.
II. Types
Depending on the drive mechanism, the head restraints are classified into the following types:
* with mechanical circuit, * with wiring diagram.
The electrical control circuit, in comparison with the mechanical circuit, has the ability to fix the force of the shock wave and quickly respond to the head restraints in a critical situation.
III. disadvantages
Despite the above advantages, head restraints have a number of disadvantages:
1. Regardless of the force of impact of the vehicle into the car, a person receives a blow from the headrest due to its quick actuation by the lever mechanism, as there is contact with the back of the seat.
2. There is driver discomfort from the linkage, especially on long journeys.
3. The emerging need for self-elimination of malfunctions of the lever mechanism due to non-recognition of their breakdowns by the dealership.
Taking into account the statistical data on the prevention of injury in an accident, which is 30 percent, it is worth thinking about what is more expensive - a person's health and his life or additional costs for the purchase of head restraints, the cost of which ranges from two to five thousand rubles, depending on the make of the car …
Installation of head restraints is not only a guarantee against injuries, but also the preservation of human life.
