It did help, head restraints have been mandated since 1969 to reduce the incidence of whiplash.thankyouOB wrote: my neck bothered me for a few hours in a very small way and i was never injured.
the head rest prolly helped a lot.
Some cars used a hinged lever that presses against your upper back.. during a rear impact your back actuates that lever and moves the headrest forward to contact your head, I guess the Leaf does not use that system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_restraint" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;