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Major step forward in the fight against whiplash injuries
Major step forward in the fight against whiplash injuries
Thatcham, the motor insurance repair research centre, has recently achieved what it describes as a “giant step forward” in identifying the most common car crash situations. The results of this research will be invaluable in increasing pedestrian safety and in helping to reduce the number of incidences of whiplash that occur in the UK every year.
Prevention better than cure
According to Thatcham’s research, there are more than 160,000 painful and debilitating injuries caused in the UK each year by the most common form of accident, the rear impact collision. Of these injuries, 16,000 are rated as serious, while 1,600 will cause serious disability or some form of physical impairment. Initially, Thatcham’s research was concerned with improving pedestrian safety. But by investigating the benefits of Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems, they believe that there is a significant possibility of preventing or mitigating around 270,000 crashes each year. This is predicted to prevent around 650 serious injuries and 64 fatalities per annum.
A side benefit of the research has been that the cameras and radar used in the tests could help to prevent rear impact collisions. AEB systems use advanced technology to automatically stop a car before it hits a pedestrian or vehicle in front.
Whiplash: A thing of the past?
Nicolas Jervis, managing director of personal injury specialists, 1stClaims, is impressed with the results. “Thatcham’s valuable research has confirmed what we long suspected n the personal injury industry. Namely, that most collisions occur at 30mph or less. While these don’t sound like excessive speeds, they are enough to cause significant injury and even death to both passengers and pedestrians. By implementing these new technologies, not only could we see a marked decrease in the number of cases involving whiplash, but we could also see a drop in the number of fraudulent whiplash claims. If the technology’s there to prevent it, it’s going to be harder to fake.”
Whiplash is caused by the sudden whipping motion of the spine. In a rear end shunt, the head is thrown forward at speed and the neck hyperextends, stretching straining and occasionally tearing the soft tissue that surrounds the vertebrae. In the second phase, the head is thrown back and, if the headrest is not positioned correctly, hyperextension is repeated. Symptoms of whiplash usually manifest within hours of an impact, although they can take up to several days to appear.
The problem for health professionals is that whiplash rarely comes with any symptoms other than those reported by the victim. Consequently, doctors have to rely heavily on testimonials from the victim in order to make a diagnosis – and this is one of the reasons that whiplash is the most commonly faked or exaggerated condition seen by personal injury lawyers.
Fraudulent whiplash claims not only slow down the procedure for those with genuine injuries, but also cost the motorist in terms of increasing insurance policy fees. If Thatcham’s findings are accurate, then this could be the beginning of fewer casualties and fewer fraudulent claims, both of which are beneficial to the innocent motorist.
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