# Explain why headrests fitted to car seats reduce the risk of serious neck injury during a rear-end collision.

> Eduqas GCSE Physics — 4.3 Safety in public transport · Explain · 4 marks

> When a car is struck from behind, the car and seat move forward suddenly but the passenger's head initially stays behind before snapping backwards.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. In a rear-end collision the car and seat accelerate forward but the passenger's head tends to remain stationary (due to inertia)
2. This causes the head to snap/jerk backwards relative to the body, which can cause a whiplash injury to the neck
3. The headrest stops the head from moving too far backwards by providing a support/barrier behind the head
4. The headrest extends the time over which the head accelerates forward (with the body), reducing the force on the neck

## Key terms

- [headrest](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/headrest)
- [rear-end collision](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/rear-end-collision)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Eduqas GCSE Physics](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/explain-why-headrests-fitted-to-car-5a27f738) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.