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290,607 road users were killed or injured in the UK in 2003, 188,342 of those were the drivers or passengers in cars (Department for Transport). With the amount of cars on our roads multiplying by the year it is not surprising that accidents are frequent and that injuries such as whiplash affect so many people. Around 20% of rear end accidents result in a whiplash injury.

The incidence of neck injury to front seat passengers is higher (16 per cent) than for rear seat passengers (10 per cent) in rear end collisions, and front-seat passengers fare worse for neck sprains (19 per cent) than drivers (15 per cent). (What a Pain in the Neck - dotpharmacy.co.uk)

A whiplash injury is caused when the car driving behind you crashes into your rear end. The impact of the two cars colliding throws your body forward so that your neck and shoulders are under your head; your head extends forward and tips down a little. When you slam your foot on the break your head and body fly back in the opposite direction. This vigorous process happens extremely quickly and often results in an injury.

Many people suffer from neck pain or tenderness after an accident but find that these symptoms disappear relatively quickly. Other people are not as lucky and can go on to develop serious neck pain. There are several symptoms of whiplash to look out for. These are often experienced in the days preceding an accident.

o Headaches
o Neck pain
o Back pain
o Shoulder pain
o Ringing in the ears
o Sleeplessness
o Pain in the arms or hands
o Abnormal sensations such as burning or prickling, called paresthesias
o Depression

So what is whiplash?

Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissue in the neck. Areas of the neck which can be affected are the discs and ligaments, cervical muscles, intervertabral joints and the roots of the nerves. Most injury to soft tissue cannot be seen with an x-ray so specialised scans may need to be carried out if symptoms persist into the long term. Treatment for people with whiplash used to involved immobilisation with a cervical collar, nowadays early mobilisation is encouraged instead. A soft collar may be worn but only for short periods at a time. Patients may also need to take pain medication, muscle relaxants and anti-depressants.

How can it be prevented?

According to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States, only eight out of 97 car seats tested went any way to preventing whiplash. It is thought that the height of the head rest is a crucial aspect of preventing injury. The cars that came out top in the tests were.

o The GM brand Saab, the 9-2X and the 9-3
o The Volvo S40, S60 and S80
o The Jaguar S Type.

Drivers should be reminded however that car manufacturers do not have sole responsibility for the prevention of whiplash. Until such a time comes when all vehicles are built with car seats like those in the Saab 9-2X, drivers should take a few steps to protect themselves. A head rest at the correct height for the passenger or driver can reduce the risk of whiplash by around 40-50%. The Insurance Bureau of Canada recommends that the centre of the headrest be slightly above the top of the driver’s ear. The top of the headrest should be at least as high as the top of the driver’s head. Ideally, the distance between the headrest and the back of the driver’s head should be 5-10 cm (2-4 inches).

Whiplash and compensation

If you have been involved in an accident and have sustained a whiplash injury you can normally claim compensation. Liability for the accident is not usually an issue when a driver has rear-ended you. Once the whiplash has been proven by medical reports damages can be claimed for loss of earnings, car damage and any special medical care that you require.

www.car-accident-claim.com provides assistance to people who have been involved in non-fault traffic accidents in the UK. They act quickly to get people back on the road in a replacement car and if people have been injured then Car Accident Adviceline can help them to claim their maximum compensation entitlement.

Editorial notes:

Car Accident Adviceline www.car-accident-claim.com is an independent company that works towards claiming compensation for people who have had a non fault car accident. Their services are completely free to use as all car hire charges and legal fees are recovered from the person at faults insurance company or written off.

About the author:

Sophie Evans - Car Accident Adviceline http://www.car-accident-claim.com - Claiming compensation for people involved in non-fault accidents.

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How to lower your gasoline cost by 50%, thru a step-by-step method, starting today by spending only 1 hour a month.

Introduction

As gasoline prices continue to climb higher and higher, many people are beginning to look for ways to slash their fuel bills. While there have been many different ideas put forth; some are not suitable for all consumers due to the fact that they must commute to work; are financially unable to trade in their existing vehicle for a smaller automobile or various other reasons.

Therefore, it is important to understand that there are; in fact, ways that you can actually lower your gasoline costs without taking any drastic measures.

You can quite easily begin to lower the amount of money that you must spend on gasoline by learning how to maneuver your car in such a way that it actually uses less gasoline.

Throughout this book, I will discuss many different ways that you can begin to see real differences in the amount of money you spend on gasoline by maneuvering your car differently.

Before we begin to delve into the many different ways that you can begin to improve your vehicle’s fuel economy, it’s important to first discuss understand the basics of fuel economy.

This won’t be a long, complicated discourse on the detailed nature of vehicle engines, but it will give you a simple and clear way to understand how your vehicle achieves fuel economy and most importantly; how you can accurately calculate your vehicle’s fuel economy.

When working on increasing your vehicle’s fuel economy, it’s important to keep a running log of your car’s mileage per gallon so that you will immediately notice if there have been any changes. These changes can signal the fact that you car may need maintenance, which as we will discuss later on; can make a great difference in your fuel economy.

Most vehicles, at least the newer models, come with a handy little sticker when you make your purchase that will tell you what kind of fuel economy you can expect to receive on that vehicle. While this can be a handy gauge, it won’t tell you exactly what kind of fuel economy your vehicle is receiving five years down the road; even six months down the road.
Once getting into the habit of recording their fuel economy based on actual facts, many people are often surprised at the difference between the fuel economy they’re supposed to get with their chosen vehicle and the fuel economy they’re actually receiving.

Fortunately, with a little knowledge; you can change that.
It’s a good idea to keep a notebook or journal of some type in your vehicle, along with a pen or pencil, so that you can quickly jot down information about your fuel economy when you fill up your vehicle. Waiting until you get back to the office or home, and writing it down haphazardly on scraps of paper, doesn’t work well.

Get in the habit of doing it when you fill up and keeping the information in the same place and you’ll find that it’s much easier and quicker to handle.

Take a look at the below legend to understand how to quickly and easily calculate and record your fuel mileage.

Date: This is the date you buy gas. This will help you budget for gas by showing you how often you fill up the tank.

Odometer: In this column, record the car’s odometer reading when you purchase gas.

Trip: One way to easily and quickly determine your fuel economy is to reset your trip meter to 0 each time you fill up your tank. This can help you to determine how far you travel between tanks of gas.

Gallons: This is the amount of gas required to refill the tank. When filling up your gas tank, always be sure to lock the gas pump handle and then allow it to shut off automatically. Never push it further by topping off the tank. This will help to ensure that you have a full tank of gas each time

MPG: This is the miles per gallon you get for a tank of gas.

Notes: This column is handy for making any notes about factors that might affect your vehicle’s fuel economy. If you needed to drive with snow tires this week; for example or if you took a trip onto particularly rough terrain. Make a note of anything that would explain any significant deviations in your vehicle’s fuel economy.

Here’s a quick way to determine your gas mileage. Simply divide the number of miles you have traveled since your last fill-up by the number of gallons recently purchased. In order to keep track of how many miles you’ve traveled since your last fill up, you may use one of two methods.

Either reset the trip meter to 0 after each fill-up or make a note of the odometer readings and calculate it that way.
When recording your vehicle’s fuel economy, it’s important to begin with a full tank of gas. Go about your normal driving (keeping in mind the tips you’ll read later on!) and then fill up again when the tank is down to

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