How to Avoid the Most Common Car Accident Injuries
On average, about 3,000 deaths a day are the result of a car crash.
Car accidents can be deadly, and you can get seriously injured from the accident.
Accidents can happen at the most inopportune times and range from minor to severe. Is it possible to avoid the most common car accident injuries?
Whiplash
When you are in a car accident, whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries. Whiplash happens when your head and neck are forced into a forward position suddenly.
Suffering from whiplash could also cause other problems like pain in your shoulders and back. It may become difficult to move your head at times as well.
If you’ve suffered from whiplash, some of the symptoms may include headaches, not being able to move your head, and feeling like you just had a concussion. You may also find that you are sensitive to light.
Knee Pain
If you’re in a car accident but wasn’t the one driving, your knee may have slammed into the dashboard or the seat in front of you. You also may have been thrown from the vehicle and injured your knee.
To try and minimize knee injuries, try and sit as far away as you can from the seat or the dashboard in front of you. Sit properly in the seat with your feet flat on the floor in front of you; don’t put your feet up on the dashboard.
Internal Bleeding
Internal bleeding can also happen after a car accident, and this can be one of the most serious injuries because sometimes people don’t even realize that they are bleeding internally.
It is best to get checked out if you were in a serious accident because the sooner you catch it, you will lower your risk of going into a coma or dying.
Spinal Injuries
Spinal injuries are also common in car accidents. Our spinal cords are flexible, but this can actually harm you in a car accident.
Injuries to the spine could happen if a fragment of a bone, ligament, or a disc becomes entangled with the tissue of the spine. Having this happen could damage the spine an affect your movement and other functions.
In some cases, the person in the accident could even become paralyzed.
Broken Bones
Broken bones are also not uncommon in an accident. Most of the broken bones happen in the feet and the ankles.
You can lower your chance of broken bones by making sure that you purchase a vehicle with a high safety rating. Speeding can also make the fractures worse, depending on where the point of impact is.
Most broken bones can be healed, but it may take anywhere from six to twelve weeks to heal, depending on how bad the fracture is. You may also not be able to walk if your ankle or foot is broken.
Head and Brain Injuries
Along with the spinal cord injuries, injuries to the head and brain can also be extremely serious. These injuries make up for a large portion of recorded injuries.
These can happen when there is a blow to the head, like from an airbag or hitting your head on the steering wheel. If someone hits their head hard enough, they could suffer from a concussion or even brain damage.
Injuries to the brain may not even be noticed at first, like the internal bleeding. You could suffer from bleeding, swelling, or bruising in your brain and not even notice for a few days, weeks, or even a month after the accident.
If you’ve been in a car accident lately, make sure that you keep an eye out for any symptoms that could indicate a brain injury. If you can catch the injury early, the treatment will be easier.
How to Avoid These Most Common Car Accident Injuries
To avoid or minimize the damage from whiplash, you should adjust your head restraint to make sure it is at least as high as the top of your ears. Always make sure that you are wearing your seatbelt.
You should also make sure that you are sitting upright with good posture so that you’re not slouched over.
While you’re driving, make sure that you aren’t tailgating the person in front of you and leave enough distances behind cars so that you have time to stop and won’t have to slam on your brake to avoid hitting them.
To protect from a spinal cord injury, you should do some of the things above like always wearing your seatbelt, sitting upright, and adjusting your headrest. The headrest is an important safety feature in your car that most people don’t think about.
In addition to all of those things, you should also make sure that you drive safely and follow the speed limit. Don’t follow another driver too closely.
Before you buy a car, you should make sure that you do your research so that you can buy the safest possible car. Look for a car with a good rear-crash rating for both the front and the back. Buy ones with a system that auto locks once you start driving and has good childproof locks. Your safety is worth it, and if you accidentally lock yourself out of your car, just check out this website.
Avoid Car Accidents
These are some of the most common car accident injuries that people experience.
We listed some tips above to stay safe and try and avoid these.
However, here are even more tips on how to avoid car accidents.