The Seriousness Of Rear End Collisions

Rear-impact collisions are known to cause serious injuries and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration(NHTSA) reports that they’re the most recurrent type of accident. 

The administration notes that nearly thirty percent of all car wrecks are rear end collisions leading to a considerable volume of traumas and casualties annually.

Breaking down the accident figures in the United States, nearly two million people are rear-ended each year leading to an average of 1700 people dying and half a million injured.  

The Common Causes of Rear-end Collisions

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, nearly ninety percent of rear-end collisions occur due to distracted driving. 

These include drivers using their cellular devices, navigation systems, eating, changing temperature, or adjusting their radio stations among other things. 

Aggressive driving is another major contributor, wherein drivers tailgate, speed, cut closely in front of another car, or brake rapidly.  

Severe weather conditions such as sleet, icy roads,  torrential rain, puddles, and more can lead to serious accidents when drivers do not drive to match the road conditions.

Another serious rear end accident cause is drunk driving when intoxicants cause their judgment to be impaired. 

Many people work for long hours then go behind the steering wheel or drive for hours without resting, leading to fatigue, which affects their judgment and often leads to rear-end collisions.

It is vital to note the factors that cause these types of rear end collisions and pay attention to everything going on around including your ability to drive at any given time. 

There isn’t much you can do to avoid being hit in the back but a lot you can do to not hit another vehicle. 

Follow the road code, avoid driving when fatigued, drive cautiously during poor weather conditions, avoid distractions in your car, no matter how tempting, and do not tailgate. 

Prevalent Injuries from Rear-end Crashes

Even the slightest rear end collisions can cause injuries such as whiplash and some injuries to go unnoticed for days, months, or even years and can be detrimental. 

It is always recommended that you seek chiropractic care after an accident, no matter how simple to prevent later costly treatments.

Neck injuries/whiplash are the most common, which can involve various types of trauma to the neck’s soft tissue like straining of the ligaments or even the tendons. Neck injuries can be painful or cause stiffness.

The back can be hurt in multiple ways during a collision from the muscles and joints to the soft tissue. Since just about every movement involves the back, the injuries can be exhausting or even require surgery, leading to lengthy time off work.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused when your head is hit on an object during an accident. Even though airbags prevent some head trauma people can still hit their heads, unless the vehicle comes with multiple airbags including sides.

TBI can lead to long-term mental and physical consequences.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs if any discs are condensed or otherwise displaced. In numerous circumstances, spinal cord traumas can cause interim or permanent paralysis and may need hospitalization to adjust and oversee the victim. 

Broken bones are common in motor vehicle accidents from head to toe.  Drivers can suffer fractures to the arms or face due to an airbag deploying.

People in the front often snap their legs because of the impact of the dashboard. Fortunately, some damaged bones heal readily with only a handful of doctor’s visits and time in general.  

It’s unfortunately not the same for some victims who need comprehensive therapies and may have enduring consequences.

Finally, while rear end collisions are plentiful and you can’t always avoid them, the onus is everyone to pay attention to the drivers around them, road conditions, avoid erratic driving, and above all, ensure you’re not contributing to the problem.