The development of adaptive safety systems addressing vehicle occupant protection requires the use of in depth knowledge of various occupant features, specifically those related to the risk of injury. All occupants in passenger vehicles are at risk of sustaining whiplash injuries in a low severity crash.

At the start of this project, whiplash associated disorders (WAD), the so called whiplash injuries, resulting from car crashes, were a serious traffic safety issue, resulting in over 4 billion costs to the European society. Yearly more than 300,000 European citizens suffered neck problems from these injuries and 15,000 crashes resulted in long terms consequences. Whiplash injuries can lead to severe pain and suffering for the victim and may result in huge societal costs.

The difference in risk between the robust, male, population and the vulnerable, female, part of the population is between 40-100%. This has been reported from epidemiological studies from all over the world since the end of the 1960s until today. Yet still, when assessing the vehicle safety the only available occupant model for these impact scenarios has tended to be an average male. Adaptive anti-whiplash systems need to be evaluated for their benefits both for males and females. If there are no improved protective systems, further rising costs for the European Society can be expected.