New Research May Affect Whiplash Claims In Future

Rear-end collisions and resulting whiplash are commonplace in the UK. A driver just has to be travelling too closely to the vehicle in front of them, and all that is needed is for the driver in front to make an emergency stop and a costly crash and claims for car accident compensation result.

Whiplash itself can lead to a range of indications from headaches and dizziness to severe neck and back pain and has been one of the most prolific claims handled by personal injury lawyers in recent history.

But new research is being steadily introduced and investigated to ensure that whiplash injuries are reduced in future and also that victims can get the car accident compensation that they deserve. The latest new measure is the introduction of Black Box Recorders which are being fitted to young driver’s cars in an attempt to minimise the number of accidents. These devices use motion sensors to record when drivers brake late, take a corner too quickly or swerve. Importantly this may impact car insurance companies who are considering cutting premiums for drivers who demonstrate they drive carefully.

The scheme aims to put the recorded data on a website, which will itself analyse the motorist's driving style. Not only is this online information available for drivers to assess their own faults, but it is also visible to their parents. Potentially it could be of great interest to car insurance companies, particularly in light of the fact that more and more younger drivers are hitting the streets and where Police figures show 20% of drivers aged under 21 have an accident in their first year on the road-almost all of these cases involving cases of whiplash.

The scheme is being piloted in Staffordshire at present.

Another potentially evidentiary find for injury lawyers may come about from research into accidents in the US. Car insurance companies there have carried out new crash tests mainly to uncover why cases dealing with whiplash are so numerous. According to the research, almost two thirds of head restraints in sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans provide inadequate protection against neck injuries. Tests were carried out on 87 different models and an alarming 54 2007 models, including BMW, DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Co, were rated well below average.

Whether in the US or UK, there are many personal injury claims companies that can help those that have been subject to crashes in vehicles with poor safety ratings to gain the car accident compensation that they deserve on a no win, no fee basis.

Saurav is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.