health

Whiplash injuries are quite common in the United States and Canada,
particularly those related to auto accidents. The National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that there are between
750,000 and 900,000 whiplash injuries related to automobile travel each
year in the United States; about 40 percent of these are caused by rearimpact
collisions. They are among the most frequently reported injuries
in insurance claims, amounting to about $8.5 billion in insurance payouts
each year.
Females tend to be at greater risk of whiplash injury than males
regardless of whether they are driving the car or riding as a passenger.
Apart from gender, drivers are more likely to get a whiplash injury than
a front-seat passenger, possibly because drivers are more likely to move
forward to try to control the car when hit from behind whereas passengers
are more likely to be leaning further back in their seats. Passengers
in the rear seats of a car have a slightly lower risk of whiplash injury than
drivers or front-seat passengers.