Protect yourself from a whiplash injury with the latest research

Short of driving safely, there's not much you can do to avoid an accident; if it's going to happen it's going to happen. You can ensure that you're wearing your seat belt and that your head restraint is adjusted properly, but short of that you really are just a sitting duck.

Or are you?

There have been enormous amounts of money poured into whiplash research over the past decade. The medical experts have spent profusely in order to better understand the possible causes and treatments of the injury, while the car designers have forked out a fortune attempting to discover how to protect drivers in the event of an accident.

The result of all this studious investigation is a veritable library of facts and figures relating to whiplash injury and its causes, effects and the possible ways to prevent it. And now Car Accident Advice Line can make use of all this information and give you some advice about how to minimise your chances of receiving whiplash if you're unfortunate enough to be involved in a road accident.

Types of car accident

It is estimated that 200,000 Brits receive a whiplash injury caused by a car accident every year; that's nearly 3850 every week; an astounding 548 people every single day. Far too many.

Of that huge number of whiplash injuries, 43% are caused by a rear-end collision, 35% by side impact collisions and 32% are due to being hit head-on.

Of course, there's not much you can do to control which part of the car is going to be hit, but research in the United States has found that people travelling in pick-up trucks, minivans and SUVs have a high risk of receiving whiplash in a rear-end collision. The reason for this is that the head restraints and seats in these types of vehicles traditionally provide inadequate protection from rear-end smashes.

Where should I sit?

In addition to buying a car that provides you with a reasonable degree of protection in the event of a road accident, it is actually possible to decrease your chances of getting whiplash by making a conscious decision about where in the vehicle to sit.

Studies have found that people who sit in the front seats of the car have a higher risk of personal injury than those sitting in the back. In fact, those using the front seats have a 16% chance of receiving whiplash as the result of a rear-end collision, whereas rear seat passengers only have a 10% likelihood of being hurt.

Men v Women

Your gender can play a part in your chances of receiving whiplash but, short of some fairly extreme surgery, there's not much you can do to change it. However, it is worth knowing that, although men are more likely to be involved in a car accident, women are far more at risk of suffering whiplash and neck injuries.

In fact, 65% of females report symptoms of whiplash after a vehicle accident, compared with only 35% of males. Could it be that women are just more prone to visiting the doctor whereas men are more likely to ignore the pain and get on with life? That's one argument.

Another is that women's neck muscles are far smaller than men's and so they are less able to deal with the enormous forces created when the head is sent jerking forwards because of an accident. A male and female head is roughly the same weight, but the woman's muscles are less capable of dealing with the 500-600 pounds of pressure that is exerted at the moment of impact and so whiplash is much more of a possibility.

Age and whiplash injuries

Age is also a great factor in determining the risk of suffering a whiplash injury and, somewhat surprisingly, young people and the elderly seem to come off better in car accidents. In fact, in the UK, just 2% of over 60s and 17% of under-21s are diagnosed with whiplash following a car crash; distinctly lower than the national average.

And so the moral of the story? Well, ideally, the best way to ensure that you don't become another whiplash statistic is to be an elderly male, sitting in the back seat of a standard car and to be involved in an accident in which you are hit head-on.

Obviously that's not how it works, but it is possible to use the studies that have been done to your advantage and minimise the risks somewhat.

After all, nobody wants to become a whiplash statistic.

You could make a no win, no fee whiplash compensation claim

If you're unfortunate enough to have received a whiplash injury in a non-fault road accident, Car Accident Advice Line could help you.

We've years of experience of helping people make successful whiplash compensation claims and our excellent success rate speaks for itself. All our personal injury solicitors are experts in their field and won't charge you a single penny for their services.

In fact, our whole service is no win, no fee and you won't be asked to pay anything at any time. There really are no costs or charges and, unlike some personal injury firms, we won't ask you to take out a loan to protect you in the unlikely event that your claim is unsuccessful.

So give us a ring today on 0808 143 43 42 for free legal advice or an instant claim assessment. We're waiting to help you get the whiplash compensation you deserve.