Crash Facts / Whiplash Statistics

Crash Facts

• Most injuries occur at crash speeds below 12 mph.

• Most cars withstand 8-12 mph impact 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 the extent of the 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:

• About 3 million will be injured (about the population size of South Carolina).

• About 1.5 million will have chronic pain (about the population size of Nebraska).

• 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