Whiplash - A Guide To Preventing, And Dealing With A Whiplash Injury

As whiplash compensation in the UK becomes increasingly common it's worth thinking about the causes of whiplash, the symptoms, what you can do to prevent it or guard against it, and what action you should take after an accident.

There are several reasons why whiplash compensation claims are being seen more and more these days. One factor is clearly that there are more cars than ever on the road, and the roads are riskier than they have ever been. Whiplash tends to happen most frequently in fairly minor accidents, where a driver hasn't spotted that the vehicle in front is stationery or moving slowly. As there is more congestion, more queues, and more people trying to get where they're going, rear end shunts are increasingly common, resulting frequently in whiplash.

Another factor is the increased use of GPS satellite navigation systems in cars. These devices with their large, colourful and appealing screens are often responsible for diverting the driver's attention from the road. It only talks a second to fail to spot a sudden change in the conditions ahead, with the result that many accidents occur where drivers were using one of these systems.

Still another factor is the fact that there is a greater awareness and understanding today of people being able to make a claim for compensation for a whiplash injury. Whiplash can be very uncomfortable and painful, and is often quite debilitating. Whiplash can prevent people from working, resulting in loss of income, and cancelled trips. The need for compensation in such cases is very real, and can often make a massive difference to people.

So is there anything you can do to either prevent whiplash or guard against it? Although there's little or nothing you can do to prevent someone behind you failing to stop in time, there are a few things you can do. First of all, if you're stopped at lights, or at a junction, or because of a queue, make sure that you keep your foot on the brake pedal until another vehicle has stopped behind you. Your brake lights will help some people to register the fact that you are stationery. If you simply put your handbrake on and lift your foot from the brake pedal then many people won't necessarily realise you've stopped.

Another tip is to make sure than in addition to having your brake light on, put your handbrake on too. This will help to stop your vehicle from moving as much should someone rear end shunt you. Yet another bit of advice is to make sure that you correctly adjust your headrest. Very few people do this, yet it can make a great deal of difference. When you realise that whiplash is caused by your head being suddenly thrown backward, then bouncing forward very suddenly, it makes sense that if your headrest is adjusted so that it is very close to the back of your head, your head will have much less distance to travel before it hits the head rest. This will in turn mean that it is likely to bounce forward a much shorter distance too, thereby reducing the potential whiplash injury.

But in spite of taking all these precautions, there is still always the chance that you'll be unlucky. So what should you do if you have been involved in an accident which could result in you suffering from whiplash symptoms? The first thing to note is that if you are involved in an accident you may not necessarily experience any symptoms at all straight away. Whiplash symptoms can appear hours, days or even weeks later, and so it's important not to just dismiss the accident at the time.

If you do start to feel any symptoms at all then make sure you seek medical help straight away. The neck is a very sensitive area of the body, and any damage must be treated professionally. Once you have sought medical help it will then be necessary to seek the help of professional whiplash solicitors who will be able to support you with your whiplash compensation claim. In the UK whiplash solicitors are able to make the process simple and easy for you. In fact, contrary to belief, making a whiplash claim for compensation is not actually a pain in the neck!

About the Author

For further information about making a claim for whiplash compensation UK visit CK Claims Ltd, specialist whiplash solicitors in Manchester.

Whiplash Claims Advice - How To Avoid A Whiplash Injury

As the number of whiplash claims in the UK continues to rise, with hundreds of thousands of people claiming the compensation they need to deal with lost earnings, reduced mobility or therapy required for the pain, it's worth looking at what can be done to try to either prevent whiplash from occurring, or at least reduce its severity.

No one wants to have to make a claim for whiplash compensation, but the many whiplash solicitors working in the UK at the moment are here to help those who, often through no fault of their own, have been involved in an accident which has resulted in whiplash. The symptoms vary from mild discomfort which may be gone in a few days to long term or even permanent pain, discomfort, reduced mobility, loss of feeling, depression and headaches.

Even minor whiplash injuries can require off work which can result in loss of earnings, but for more serious cases where the symptoms persist for many weeks or months the compensation awarded in the quarter of a million successful whiplash claims in the UK each year does help to get people through.

So what can be done, if anything, to help protect people before the accident occurs? Is there really anything you can do which will help to either prevent the accident from occurring or at the very least reduce the damage done to the soft tissues in your neck so that any symptoms you do experience will be greater reduced in severity?

In fact there are several things you can do to help protect both you and your passengers, and whilst nothing can protect you completely from the lack of attention offered by other drivers, there are some things you can do which will really help make a difference. The first thing to think about is how whiplash actually occurs. People tend to know it involves the head bouncing around a lot, but what is really going on? Understanding this can go a long way towards helping you take the steps needed to protect your neck in the event of an accident.

Whiplash is caused by the sudden compression and then extension of the soft tissue in your neck. This is easier to understand if you think about the most common cause of a whiplash injury, the rear end shunt. If you're sitting in traffic and someone coming up behind you fails to notice that you are stationery then they may well collide into the back of your vehicle. As they hit your vehicle your head is thrown backwards. This compresses the tissues in your neck very suddenly.

A split second later your head rebounds off your headrest and is thrown forwards, possibly into the air bag if it has inflated. This sudden movement of the head forwards stretches or extends the tissues in your neck, usually resulting in whiplash. So the first thing to think about is adjusting the head rest to reduce both the distance your head travels backwards, and the amount it is likely to be bounced forwards.

By positioning the headrest correctly so that there is minimal distance between the back of your head and the head rest, should a vehicle hit the back of your car your head may only have an inch or so to travel before hitting the head rest. This significantly reduces the compression factor, and at the same time reduces the momentum of the head so that it will not be thrown forwards as much. Often people fail to adjust headrests correctly, but doing so could well help you avoid becoming just another one of the whiplash claims in the UK this year.

About the Author

For information on whiplash claims UK visit CK Claims Ltd, whiplash solicitors based in Manchester who will be able to offer help, advice and support in getting you the compensation you need.