22.11.2005
Top safety ratings for Saab Active Head Restraints

All Saab 9-3 and 9-5 models achieved top marks for protection against neck injury by the Thatcham insurance research center in the U.K. All of those models feature Saab Active Head Restraints (SAHR) as standard.

The Thatcham test classifies the performance of a car's front seats and head restraints in offering neck injury protection as «Good», «Acceptable», «Marginal» or «Poor». In the first round of tests conducted last year, the 9-3 Sport Sedan achieved the highest rating. In the latest round of rear-end collision tests, the 9-3 Convertible, 9-3 SportCombi and 9-5 models have now also been awarded with the best-possible rating.

Announcing the results, Matthew Avery, Thatcham Crash Research Manager, said: "Saab has been a benchmark for designing seats to help prevent whiplash injury. Real world data from insurance claims shows that the Saab 9-3 with active head restraints has produced a 42 percent reduction in whiplash injuries, compared to the previous model, which did not have them."

«Saab's «best practice» approach was a fundamental part of the International Insurance Whiplash Prevention Group's test procedure and it encourages all manufacturers to fit similar systems,» Avery added.

The SAHR has been developed to reduce relative movement between the head and lower back. The restraint is mounted at the top of a frame, inside the seat-back, which is designed to pivot at its mid point. In a rear-end impact, the occupant’s lower back is forced rearward by inertia against the bottom portion of the seat-back. A mechanical linkage in the frame then forces the upper half, which carries the head restraint, upward and forward to catch the occupant’s head and help minimize the amount of whiplash movement.

Further information about the Thatcham tests and a full list of results is available at: www.thatcham.org