Crash Facts
• Most injuries occur at crash speeds below 12 mph.
• Most cars withstand 8-12 mph impacts without vehicle damage.
• More than half of all Low Speed Rear Impact Collision injuries occur without vehicle damage.
• There is no correlation between vehicle damage and extent of injury.
• The peak acceleration of the head is much greater than the peak acceleration of the vehicle.
• A 5-mph crash typically produces about 10-12 g of acceleration of the occupant’s head.

Information provided by the Spine Research Institute of San Diego

Whiplash Statistics
• More than 3 million Americans are injured by a CAD every year.
• The reported risk of injury in Low Speed Rear Impact Collisions is 35-68%.  The Japanese Auto Insurance Rating Association reports a 50% neck injury rate.
• About 10% of those injured become permanently disabled.
•“Minor” neck injuries account for up to 60% of all permanent impairment claims.
• So, for every 6 million occupants in Low Speed Rear Impact Collisions:
1. About 3 million will be injured (about the population size of South Carolina).
2. About 1.5 million will have chronic pain (about the population size of Nebraska).
3. About 300,000 of these become disabled usually due to pain (about the population size of Wyoming).
• Nearly half of all chronic neck pain in America is due to car crashes—mostly Low Speed Rear Impact Collisions.
• About 9% of all Americans suffer from chronic neck pain due to Low Speed Rear Impact Collisions.
• Children are at 2/3 the risk of adults.

Information provided by the Spine Research Institute of San Diego