Who gets hurt worse in rear-ended car accidents?



Which Driver Gets Hurt Worse In Auto Accidents?

Car accidents are a global problem. It is important to know, even low-speed accidents can cause significant injury. Cars weigh a lot. The average passenger car weighs 4,156lb*, according to a recent report by the EPA on vehicles. This amount of mass traveling even at a relatively slow speed can result in massive impacts on the human body.

Why do some folks not seem to be hurt, when others are?  

There are factors involved in creating significant injury in some, and mild injury in others. Imagine that there is a rear-end accident. Which individual would you guess would be worse off? Do you think it is the driver who has been rear-ended, or do you think the person who collided into them is at greater risk?

The person who is rear-ended is almost always injured to a greater degree than the person who hit them.

The major factor at play in why this happens is muscle bracing. The person who is in the primary vehicle has more time to brace for impact. Many times, being rear-ended happens by surprise, so the individual in the car that is hit does not brace for impact. This allows for greater degree of injury to structures like discs, ligaments, and cartilage, tissues that heal more slowly than muscles do. Bracing for impact engages muscles that protect the ligaments and softer structures of the spine.

Research** shows that two factors can reduce your risk of long term effects from being rear ended:

First, muscle bracing, as discussed, reduces long term injury by protecting slower-healing structures. Another factor, and an important thing to do every time you drive to prevent injury, is optimizing your safety restraints.

Properly fitting your driving position with actions such as raising the headrest to sit at the proper height for your head, as well as ensuring that your safety belt is securely fastened, will help reduce injury if you are in a motor vehicle accident.    

Prevent injury wherever you can. Before you drive, make sure your driving position is optimal by raising your headrest, adjusting your steering wheel, and buckling up. If while you're driving, you lose control of your car, or you see somebody in your rear view mirror coming too fast to stop, brace for impact!

Sometimes the inevitable happens.  

If you are in an accident, it is crucial to get your spine checked immediately by the experts. Even minor accidents that cause little to no damage to the involved vehicles may cause damage to the spine, resulting in long lasting symptoms. If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident, call (406) 551-2177.  


*https://www.epa.gov/automotive-trends/download-automotive-trends-report

**https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256778/Car accidents are a global problem.



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