Thatcham has launched Europe's first individual passenger car whiplash safety ratings.

The ratings are funded by the British motor insurers which are members of Thatcham. The ratings allow the buying public to select a vehicle with effective anti-whiplash performance.

Of the 277 new 2003 year cars rated, almost half rate as Good with a further 25% offering acceptable performance.

However over a quarter of new cars fail to offer their occupants adequate protection against soft tissue neck
injuries.

Thatcham¹s research has shown that 72% of car occupants fail to adjust their head restraint correctly and this explains the 200 000 new whiplash cases seen in the UK every year.

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