How to Brace for a Car Accident In Washington

Motorists hold conflicting views about whether or not to brace for an accident. You may have heard that going limp is the best way to avoid serious harm, with much anecdotal evidence about sleeping passengers and drunk or drowsy drivers avoiding injuries in an accident because they were relaxed at the time of the impact. However, research shows that this may be a long-perpetuated myth. Studies reveal that those who brace for impact in a car accident have better long-term outcomes compared to those who either don’t have time to brace, fail to brace themselves, or in accidents such as rear-end collisions when the injury victims never saw the accident coming.

How Does Bracing for a Car Accident Help?

When a collision occurs, vehicle occupants continue moving forward at the speed the car was traveling until they are halted by their seatbelt, which then snaps them back against the seat. Those who aren’t properly restrained are propelled into the dash or through the windshield. According to crash force calculations, a 130-pound person becomes a 7,150-pound force in an accident. If a motorist doesn’t brace for the accident, they experience the full momentum of that force.

By bracing for an accident, the strength of a person’s muscles helps to protect internal structures such as ligaments, tendons, and bones. For example, whiplash is the most common car accident injury, often resulting in months or years of pain and disability. Whiplash occurs when the force of a collision causes the head to snap back and forth, overextending the neck and damaging the interior structures. By bracing the head and neck, an accident victim minimizes the impact of the accident on their body.

How Does a Person Brace for a Car Accident?

Before driving or riding as a passenger in a car, be sure that your seat’s headrest is at the correct level to support your head. If you see an accident coming, stay facing forward and sitting upright. Resist the urge to lean forward or duck down which only allows more space for your body to whip back and forth in a collision. Then, brace your head against the headrest.

This helps prevent the head from pulling the neck backward and forward and also protects the structures inside the back. Tense your entire body as though bracing for a punch or kick. Brace your feet against the floor and brake pedal if you are a driver or against the floor alone if you are a passenger. Some studies suggest that it’s beneficial to use an arm to brace yourself against the dashboard before an accident if time allows. Some people avoid this because it’s likely to break the arm. Accident experts warn that breaking an arm may be painful, but it helps absorb the impact of an accident and protects the more critical body structures such as the head, neck, and back.

Bracing for a car accident is a move you and your family members can practice over and over in the car until it becomes instinctive.

How Can a Car Accident Lawyer In Washington Help?

Whether your injuries in a car accident are mild or severe, they result in consequences such as property damage, medical expenses, and lost wages as well as pain and suffering. These economic and non-economic consequences are the “damages” in a Washington car accident claim. If the accident was caused by someone else’s actions, you shouldn’t be left responsible for the damages. Call an experienced Kent car accident attorney at Caffee Accident & Injury Lawyers in Washington for a free evaluation of your case.