How Likely Are You To Suffer Whiplash In A Road Accident?

By Author: Adam Lee
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Driving along one quiet Sunday morning, observing the speed limit, a driver suddenly finds they have no way to anticipate a car to their left which carelessly pulls out of a side road giving them no time to brake.

Their head jolts forward on impact - not dramatically, like a crash test dummy - but with enough force for there to be a threat of whiplash.
The accident is not this driver’s fault which is why firms such as Claims Direct can put them in touch with No Win No Fee solicitors specialising in dealing with whiplash claims.

But fixing a whiplash injury can often prove to be a more complicated process than successfully making a personal injury claim.
Modern dictionaries will tell you that whiplash is an injury to the cervical spine resulting from an abrupt jerking motion of the head (either backwards or forwards). It is a phrase which is all-too familiar to many Britons.

Insurance industry figures consistently show that four in every five motor vehicle personal injury claims involves whiplash - a statistic which means that there are 250,000 whiplash injuries on British roads ...
... in an average year.

So, what are the chances of the careful Sunday morning driver described at the start of this article sustaining a whiplash-associated disorder (WAD)?

Surprisingly, the answer to this question depends on factors such as the speed at which this driver is travelling, the quality of their head restraint, their posture at the wheel and whether they are a man or a woman.

You would assume that if this driver was cruising in a low gear at jogging pace there would be little risk of sustaining a WAD. But you would be wrong - you can still easily suffer whiplash while at the wheel of a golf buggy or milk float. According topatient.co.uk “most cases of whiplash injury occur as the result of rear-end vehicle collisions at speeds of less than 14 miles per hour”.

A recent study referred to by the website found “the cervical muscle injury threshold to be about 8 km/hour”.

Surely, seatbelts offer a defence against WADs? Incidences of whiplash are more commonly associated with people using seatbelts with shoulder restraints than with ones with no restraint - seatbelts play a vital role in minimising the risk of a severe whiplash injury.

Head restraints, like seatbelts, have a big role to play regarding road safety; a well-fitted head restraint will help protect you against whiplash and reduce the chances of you incurring a long-term injury.
Patient.co.uk also stresses that good posture while travelling in a vehicle can lessen the threat of whiplash.

Many studies reveal that women seem to be more vulnerable to whiplash - “the fact that their neck muscles are less well developed than men's” is proffered as a possible explanation.

Rospa reassuringly notes that the vast majority of WADs are not long-term - reputable experts such as Claims Direct can put you in touch with No Win, No Fees solicitors and ensure that the whiplash claims process isn’t an additional pain in the neck.
About Author:
Claims Direct are a No Win No Fee Solicitors.
We specialise in personal injury claims involving road accidents, as well as Whiplash Claims