| When the latest quotes for your car insurance hit the | | | | develop within hours of an accident, include painful |
| doormat you may need to sit down before you open | | | | stiffness in the neck that goes up into the head and |
| them: motor insurance premiums have more than | | | | down into the shoulders, headache, nausea, pins and |
| doubled since 1994 and, over the last year alone, fully | | | | needles in the arms and hands, low back pain, |
| comprehensive and third party insurance premiums | | | | dizziness, blurred vision and ringing in the ears. It can |
| have gone up 5.9%. Yet according to the Association | | | | also cause problems with concentration, memory and |
| of British Insurers the number of deaths on Britain's | | | | general performance. |
| roads are falling, so why aren't your premiums? | | | | With problems like this, not only will you require medical |
| The simple fact is that as casualties have fallen the | | | | treatment at the time but possibly over many weeks. |
| cost of accidents is rising, and in the accidents that do | | | | You may be in a neck brace taking anti-inflammatory |
| occur there is a greater incidence of younger drivers | | | | drugs and painkillers so unable to carry out your job. |
| being involved. Car design over the last decade has | | | | The time it takes for whiplash to heal varies from a |
| made our cars safer, with airbags, impact bars and | | | | few weeks to months or years. It can also cause |
| specialist metals in the bodywork to reduce the | | | | ongoing health problems, potentially for the rest of your |
| crushing effect of a crash. The cost of repairing cars | | | | life. |
| with these hi-tech safety features is much more | | | | The important thing is to get the appropriate medical |
| expensive. Also a greater number of drivers and their | | | | treatment you need at the earliest opportunity. Ensure |
| passengers survive car crashes and therefore | | | | you make a careful note of how it has affected you, |
| insurance claims for injuries sustained in accidents are | | | | what treatment you have or will require and any |
| on the increase. According to the AA, personal injury | | | | impact it may have on your daily life and job. All |
| claims are rising at around 10% per year. | | | | valuable information needed in order to make a claim. |
| The most common of these injuries is whiplash or | | | | It seems somewhat ironic that with improved road |
| whiplash associated disorders (WAD). This usually | | | | safety and car design saving lives, that insurers are |
| occurs when a vehicle hits you from behind, though it | | | | blaming the survivors of what once would have been |
| can also happen if you are hit from the front or side. | | | | fatal crashes for the increase in their insurance |
| The impact throws the body forward which in turn | | | | premiums. Why should these innocent victims bear the |
| throws the neck forward so it extends. As the driver | | | | financial cost of paying for the treatment of injuries |
| brakes hard to stop the car moving this impetus is | | | | sustained in a crash and any loss of earnings this may |
| stopped suddenly and the neck snaps back at speed | | | | have caused? The fact is that demand is rapidly in |
| hitting the headrest. Inside the body this stretches and | | | | danger of outstripping supply. Insurance companies feel |
| tears tendons, muscles and ligaments in the neck and | | | | that premiums are no longer able to support the |
| surrounding area and may also damage nerves and | | | | increasing number of claims for injuries sustained in |
| other soft tissues. | | | | road accidents. There are indications that increases |
| Symptoms vary enormously depending on the health | | | | are beginning to slow as a balance is reached. But in |
| and age of the person, the severity of impact and | | | | the meantime, whether you have been in an accident |
| braking speed, and factors such as seatbelts, | | | | or not motor insurance premiums will be a real financial |
| headrests and so on. The results of a whiplash injury | | | | pain in the neck for drivers. |