subject: Five Ways To Avoid Whiplash [print this page] Of all the car insurance claims submitted in the UK each year, three quarters of them involve a whiplash claim. Here you;ll find some of the best advice to ensure it doesn't happen to you, and what to do if it does.
Wear your seatbelt:
Not only is this a legal requirement, it also makes perfect sense. That little strip of black material is the most basic and essential form of safety equipment a car is fitted with, and without their use other features like airbags, side impact bars and seatbelt pretensioners are rendered fairly useless. Car safety adverts a few years ago memorably depicted an average person as having the force of an elephant in the event of a crash where they are not wearing their seatbelt. Not only is it putting you at risk, it endangers everybody else travelling in the vehicle.
Adjust your head restraint:
Its alternative name, the 'headrest' has given many road users the impression that it is some sort of relaxation aid for use in irritating rush-hour traffic jams. It can function as this, but its main purpose, as a surprisingly few number of people seem to know, is to restrain the head, the heaviest part of the body, in the event of an accident. It should be adjusted so that both its top edge and the top of your head are level, and it should be located as close to the back of your head as it can be. Many modern cars now feature special anti-whiplash head restraints to try and combat this problem, although if you drive a particularly old car, you may find you have none at all!
Make sure your brake lights are working:
This is another point that barely needs emphasis but again, a worryingly high number of people don't seem to keep an eye on the condition of their brake lights, as a cursory glance around the roads will prove. If the person behind you doesn't know you are slowing down until it's too late, you can't reasonably expect them to avoid hitting you, and this puts you and your occupants at risk of whiplash or more serious injuries. Plus, it's a legal requirement to have both (or all three) bulbs working properly.
Keep your distance:
If everybody obeyed this rule, whiplash would barely exist, and the number of car accidents on our roads today would plummet dramatically. It goes without saying that you can't ensure that somebody behind keeps their distance from you, but if you keep a distance between you and the car in front, at least you won't be liable for causing a pile-up and you'll reduce the probability of injuries.
Check your mirrors:
If you think that someone is too close to you, either accidentally or deliberately, keep an eye on them and safely let them by at the earliest opportunity. If they want to cause an accident, they're perfectly welcome to, but make sure they don't involve you! Of course this isn't always possible, but it should be in the majority of cases.
And if the worst should happen...
Get the other driver's details:
This is an essential stage for both the purposes of getting your car repaired, and for claiming compensation if you have genuinely sustained whiplash, the symptoms of which may appear anything up to a week after the crash.
Take photos of the crash scene:
This will be of use for both the purposes outlined above. Evidence is key in both insurance and compensation claims. Most people carry a camera these days in the form of their mobile phones, so if you don't have one, ask a bystander to take photos for you.
Speak to witnesses:
Take their details and ask them if they will provide a quick testimony to emphasise that you weren't at fault for the accident.
Don't admit liability:
If you believe you were not at fault for the accident (and in nearly all cases, if your vehicle has been shunted from behind, you won't be) don't feel pressurised into admitting liability for the accident. If neither party can agree, then call the police.
Seek medical advice
Again, the reasons for this are twofold: the more obvious one being that if you have been injured you need medical assistance to ensure that you are not more seriously injured than you may think. The second one is, if you wish to claim compensation, you will need to have had your injuries confirmed by a doctor.
