Dr. Scott Smith of Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic advises drivers who want to prevent injuries in a car crash to pay attention to vehicle seat position.

“Many times people are sitting in their vehicle with the seat back and the head restraint in a poor position where there’s too much gap in between the head and the seat back,” Smith said.

If struck from behind, a principle called “ramping” and improper seat and head restraint positioning put people at greater risk of injury, Smith said.

Proper seat back angle should be 0 to 10 degrees from vertical, according to Smith. Head restraints should sit close to the back and top of passengers’ heads to minimize “back set” and “top set” distances.

“You want to minimize your back set, your top set for proper seating position or seating posture in your vehicle,” Smith said.

He pointed to one passenger whose head had too much space behind it, contrasting that to a driver whose head restraint stayed closer to the skull.

“To recap, you want your seat back 0 to 10 degrees off of the vertical and your head restraint close as possible to your head to minimize any potential injuries such as whiplash or any other spinal injuries of your neck and your back,” Smith said.

Smith said proper positioning aims to curb whiplash, back injuries and other harm that can result from crashes. He recommended all travelers re-examine how their vehicle seat fits them.