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Whiplash in car accident, Women 3 times more at risk


WEBWIRE

If you are a woman and you have been involved in a low velocity car accident, your risk of whiplash may be as much as 3 times greater compared to a man involved in a similar accident, according to a recent study conducted at a University in Sweden. Researchers from Umea University, led by academic Bertil Jonnson, found that women were more at risk of whiplash injuries in rear end shunt type accidents due to their seating position.

The study focussed on one of the most common types of injury suffered in a car accident, a neck injury. Using data from insurance companies in Sweden as well as recordings of Swedish drivers taken from roadside cameras, the seating positions of male and female drivers were investigated in a laboratory setting using crash test dummies. It was found that the way that women adjust their seats left them at an increased risk of neck injuries should they be involved in a crash.

Differences in posture between the sexes, as well as between people travelling in the front passenger seat and in the driver’s seat were seen to increase the risk of injury. The driver’s position was found to have twice the accident rate compared to the front passenger seat. The study found that women had a tendency to sit higher and closer towards the steering wheel, and they moved the backrest into a more vertical position than male drivers did, leaving them open to neck injuries in rear end collisions.

In a reaction to the findings, a spokesperson at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said that RoSPA encouraged all drivers to ensure that the head restraint and backrest is properly adjusted before any car journey and every time the car is used by a different driver. In the spokesperson’s words, “This helps prevent whiplash by reducing the distance between the back of the head and the head restraint, stopping the neck from bending back on impact.”

Camps Solicitors take a keen interest in the latest research and developments in the motor industry. As a firm, our whiplash accident solicitors handle hundreds of claims from motorists who have received whiplash injuries through no fault of their own, including many female motorists. If you have suffered whiplash in an accident that was not your fault, call 0800 092 8586 now to see if you can claim no win no fee compensation.



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