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Whiplash Stilll Occurs in Auto Accidents. Avoid Injury Like a Professional Driver!

By James Ballidis

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05Mar2010 Word count: 517 Viewed: 294 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

A rear end crash occurs every 17 seconds in the U.S. and a soft tissue injury called whiplash is often the result. An estimated 2 million insurance claims are filed each year; 200,000 of those are serious enough to cause long-term medical problems. But what exactly is whiplash? What can we do about it and how safe are our cars?

Whiplash occurs when the soft tissues of the neck is injured by a sudden "whipping" of the head. This sudden motion strains the muscles and ligaments of the neck beyond their normal range of motion. Even though you may be wearing a seatbelt, the belt will keep your body from moving forward but the head may snap forward, then backward, causing pain and sometimes serious long term pain.

In addition to neck pain, other symptoms may include neck stiffness, injuries to the muscles and ligaments, headache, dizziness, or shoulder or back pain. Some also experience cognitive, somatic, or psychological conditions such as memory loss, concentration impairment, sleep disturbances, and depression.

Since 1969, some type of headrest has been mandated in the U.S. However, accident reconstruction and other automobile research through the years have resulted in important manufacturing techniques to make them even safer for occupants involved in a crash. In December 2004, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, NHTSA upgraded its requirements for head restraints so that they are higher and closer to the back of people's heads.

It is a common misconception that head restraints are actually a resting place for your head. Head restraints are an essential safety feature like lap/shoulder belts. Effective head restraints help move an occupant's head forward with the body in a rear-end crash and decrease the likelihood of sustaining a whiplash injury. Head restraints should be positioned high enough to protect the head so as to minimize neck distortion. A head restraint should be positioned at least as high as the head's center of gravity, or about 3.5 inches below the top of the head. Because people differ in height, the amount of adjustment varies. For some occupants, no adjustment from the lowest position is required. The distance from the back of the head to the restraint should be as small as possible, preferably less than 4 inches.

While head restraints have improved dramatically over time, when buying a new car, it is wise to get the best possible crash rating available. Check with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, www.iihs.org for its rear end crash/ head restraint ratings. In addition to buying a car with good safety ratings, here are a few other tips for preventing whiplash:

· Adjust the head restraint properly,

· Sit upright while driving,

· Always wear your seatbelt,

· Don't tailgate; leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you,

· If you see a crash is coming, lean back so that your head is touching the head restraint and look ahead. This will minimize the whiplash severity.

Professional drivers sustain very few whiplash injuries even though involved in collisions far greater than our. Their equipment is properly fit to protect them. Fit your equipment to reduce injury.

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