METHOD AND DEVICE TO PREVENTING OR REDUCING THE RISK OF INJURY FOR VEHICLE PASSENGERS DURING AN ACCIDENT

The invention relates to a method and device for avoiding or reducing injuries in the area of the neck and nape, in particular acceleration trauma to vehicle occupants (17), which can arise as a result of the rear impact of a vehicle colliding from the rear (5). By using a sensor system (2) located in the vehicle (1) for continuously detecting the distance at the rear and a data processing system (4), a timely prediction of the rear-end collision and of the impending rear impact is determined. In order to minimize the risk of injury as a result of the tumbling movement of the head (19), the head (19) should be located as far as possible in the median plane or aligned in the direction of travel and the neck musculature should be tensed. This aim is achieved by means of a reflex reaction to an acoustic, mechanical, visual or electrical alarm signal, which is preceded by a static or dynamic visual display (8) at a point that is fixed or can be determined by a computer. Before the alarm signal is output, the heads (19) of the occupants (17) are at least approximately aligned in the median plane of the body or in the direction of travel by means of an orientation reaction resulting from the static or dynamic visual display (8) at a point that is fixed or can be determined by a computer, in order to prevent the head (19) from lurching immediately after the impact.