Whiplash-associated disorders are associated with which factor at the moment of impact?

• A. Airbag Material
• B. Position of Head at Time of Impact
• C. Vehicle Color
• D. Engine Type

Answer: (B)

Whiplash injuries come from rapid acceleration-deceleration of the head relative to the trunk, so the head’s posture at the moment impact sets how much and in what direction the neck is strained. If the head is in a neutral or awkward position when the crash starts, the lever arm and the sequence of motion the head must undergo differ, changing the tensile and shear stresses on the cervical tissues. In typical rear-end crashes, the head lags behind the torso and then whips backward into hyperextension and forward into hyperflexion, loading the muscles, ligaments, discs, and joints of the neck. The other options don’t influence that immediate neck motion at impact.