Why isn there data for rear impact collisions?
The economics of crash-testing don’t allow for rear-impact collision tests. Frontal impacts account for 48% of all motor vehicle collisions. Offset and side-impact collisions split the next 48% while rear-impacts account for the remaining 4%. Spending money on rear impact collisions just wouldn’t make sense in an environment where a sizeable portion of new models are never tested because of funding shortfalls. The IIHS does determine if the front seat head restraints of a motor vehicle can be positioned behind and close enough to the back of the head to limit relative head and torso movement in rear-end collisions. In their Head Restraint Ratings they give each vehicle a rating based on their measurements which may indicate how well an occupant would be protected in a rear-end collision.
