Avoiding Back and Neck Injury in a Car Accident

The good news is that car manufacturers are taking steps to reduce whiplash neck injury and back injury suffered in auto collisions and rollovers. The bad news is that most cars on the road still have head restraints and seat designs that fail to prevent — or even cause — severe injuries.

Most head restraints are too low or too far from the head to offer sufficient protection to passengers. In 2005 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instituted a rule requiring auto manufacturers to address this problem and make head rests higher and closer, beginning with 2009 models.

Protect Your Family and Avoid Calling an Injury Lawyer
Until all cars are made safer, there are steps you can take to avoid back and neck injury in low-speed rear-end collisions, or to limit the damage in involved in a high-impact crash.

• Seatbelts! Wearing seatbelts and shoulder restraint belts at all times (even "short trips") offers the greatest protection against neck, back and all injuries. Child car seats should be snugly adjusted, and children in booster seats should wear shoulder harnesses (not just the lap belt). See "Are You Using it Right?" by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• Buying a new car? If you are in the market for a new (or used) car, consider crash test ratings and safety features. Several carmakers have proactively redesigned headrests and seatbacks to reduce the number of back and neck injury cases. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has rated cars since 1995, and rates all automakers on the relative safety of a head restraint / seat restraint combination. In the most recent ratings [http://www.iihs.org/sr/pdfs/sr3910.pdf][,]Volvo, Saab, the Volkswagen Beetle, and some Subarus and Jaguars earned a "Good" rating for protecting occupants from whiplash and back injuries.
• Adjust your head rest. To take advantage of the improvements in head restraints (or get the best protection from a car with old technology), your head rest should be set at or above the ears. The IIHS determined that only 60 percent of drivers and passengers had their head rest at the proper height. Being taller, men can benefit most from raising the head restraint.
• I'm going to crash! If you hear brakes screeching behind you, or realize you are about to crash, brace yourself against the back of the car seat and head rest with your body straight.
• Mind your posture. You never know when a car accident might occur. You are best protected with your back straight and as close as possible to the seatback and your head as close as possible to the headrest. Slouching or leaning forward increases the risk of neck injury or back injury.
• Save someone else. Encourage friends and family to take these simple precautions to reduce cervical vertebra and spinal injuries, and whiplash (soft tissue damage). Everyone wins (except us lawyers) by reducing injuries and insurance rates.

Have You Been Injured?

If you have been in a car accident and suffered a back or neck injury, Michael J. Meksraitis Chartered is a Tampa, Florida auto accident and personal injury firm. We genuinely care about our clients' physical recovery, and seek maximum compensation to cover expenses and losses for accident victims. Contact South Florida injury lawyer Michael Meksraitis for a free consultation. We have fluent Spanish speakers on staff.