How to Prevent Whiplash Injury
Whiplash is a soft tissue neck injury which often develops after a road traffic collision. It can be very painful, not to mention very debilitating, leaving people unable to carry out everyday tasks. That is why it is so important to protect yourself against a whiplash injury.
How can you prevent whiplash?
Of course, you cannot predict the actions of other road users, and you may think there is nothing you can do to avoid the negligence of other drivers. This is true to some extent, but there are steps you can take to prevent or at least limit the extent of a whiplash injury.
One of the most effective things you can do is to correctly position your headrest. Indeed, headrests are not there for aesthetic purposes, but to protect you from harm. They work by obstructing your head from whipping backwards during a road traffic collision.
For example, if your car is hit from the rear, your head will suddenly be thrown backwards and forwards, stretching your neck beyond its normal limits and damaging the surrounding tissue. But if there is a headrest blocking the movement of your head, the level of injury will be greatly reduced.
However, you must have the headrest in line with the top of your head. If it is too low, your head will be thrown over the top of it, and if it is too high, you will hit the metal bars. As long as it is in the correct position, a headrest can prevent a whiplash injury.
Additionally, you should leave a sufficient gap between you and the vehicle in front of you, thereby ensuring you have enough breaking distance. The majority of whiplash injuries occur because of a rear end collision, so leaving enough space between cars will help to diminish the number of accidents every year.
What to do if you suffer whiplash
But even if you do drive with the utmost care and correctly position your headrest, you cannot always protect yourself against other people’s actions. If you do suffer whiplash because of another party’s negligence, you must waste no time in speaking to a legal expert about your options, as you could be entitled to compensation for the damages you have wrongfully incurred. This includes your pain, suffering and financial losses.
Contact Insure Your Motor about making a claim if you have sustained an injury in a road accident, or if someone is making a claim for whiplash injury against you.
