Myth #1: If you see that you’re going to get rear-ended and you “tense up” you’re more likely to get injured.
Fact: Researchers like Dr. Arthur Croft from the San Diego Spine and Research Clinic and his human crash dummies say you’re less likely to get injured and, he’s the leading authority on whiplash in the US.
Myth #2: The faster the “bullet” vehicle is going, the more severe the whiplash injuries will be in the “target” vehicle.
Fact: You are more likely to get injured from a low speed (less than 10 mph) rear end accident then in a high speed accident. The reason is because the head is delayed more in a low speed accident and the whiplash is actually accentuated.
Myth #3: Men and women are equally susceptible to getting injured in a rear-end collision.
Fact: Women are twice likely to get injured from whiplash then men. Why? Because of muscle mass and neck circumference.
Myth #4: There’s no damage to your vehicle so you couldn’t possibly have been hurt.
Fact: Vehicle collision damage has little to do with human damage, especially whiplash. The acceleration of the occupant when hit from the rear is 2.5 times that of the car.
If you are a victim of a rear-end collision and make a claim for personal injuries with the insurance company for the other driver, beware! Many insurance companies will argue and try and convince you that because the vehicles sustained little or no visible damage, then the vehicle’s occupants could not have been injured. This is not necessarily true. While cars are designed to handle the low speed impact forces, the human body is not.
There are two main reasons why they don’t want to pay…It costs insurance companies, on average 2.7 Billion each year just to fix whiplash injuries and the average cost per claim is $9,900.
Approximately 75% of all rear impact collisions occur at speeds less than 10 mph and most are direct hits. A quality rear bumper system can help prevent whiplash injuries. They should be designed to compress upon impact and absorb the force of a low impact collision. A lower quality bumper system is less absorbent and allows the brunt of the impact forces to be transferred to the occupants of the car.
Insurance adjusters are very sharp at reducing the insurance company’s exposure. Serious injuries can result from what may appear to be a minor impact. Every rear-end collision is different and legal representation may be needed to ensure you are treated fairly.
Jeff is CEO of Mohr Mfg – https://www.superbumper.com – is an expert in rear end collisions. His company makes portable, energy absorbing, spare safety bumpers that prevent rear end collision damage caused by Tailgaters, Uninsured Motorists, Bumper To Bumper Traffic, Distracted Drivers, Inattentive Cell Phone Users, Drivers With Poor Judgment, Text Messengers And Lousy-Stinking Parallel Parkers.