December is National Impaired Prevention Month, a campaign developed to address the sharp increase in drunk driving accidents seen throughout the United States as the holidays kick off in earnest.
Contrary to popular belief, DUI accidents, distracted driving accidents, and other collisions primarily occur during daylight hours. All of them can have a devastating impact on a victim’s physical health.
We hope that by increasing awareness about the impact car accidents have on the human body, we can encourage more diligence through the coming holiday season.
Here, we break down what happens to your body in a car crash and how collisions cost Americans billions of dollars every year. Holiday drivers can refer to our tips and tricks to prevent debilitating accidents as they travel to see friends and family this year. We can also help injured drivers take advantage of resources that may help them recover from crashes..
Motor Vehicle Accidents Across The Nation
In 2022, 2,782,771 people found themselves injured after a motor vehicle accident in the United States alone. Those accidents were the third leading cause of non-fatal injuries for people between the ages of one and 85, falling behind unintentional falls and being struck by objects.
Those accidents led to roughly 2.76 million trips to emergency rooms around the nation, during which Americans spent a combined 18.08 billion dollars on medical bills. These accidents primarily stemmed from distracted driving, which caused 12% of all accidents, as well as drunk driving and speeding.
Drunk driving specifically caused an estimated 300,000 injuries, especially during the holidays. Mississippi leads the American Southeast for drunk driving accidents, but Georgia’s not far behind: according to data gathered in 2022, drunk driving accidents account for 10.4% of all of Georgia’s vehicular collisions.
Cataloging the Most Common Car Accident Injuries
Different kinds of car accidents result in different kinds of injuries. The types of vehicles involved in an accident can also impact the severity of your conditions.
For example, if you’re in a personal car and get into an accident with a semi-truck, you may find yourself dealing with head trauma or neck and brain injuries. Comparatively, accidents with other personal vehicles may leave you with soft tissue injuries like cuts or bruises but no long-lasting trauma.
Some of the most common injuries to stem from today’s car accidents include the following:
- Head traumas, including contusions, concussions, and intracranial hemorrhages
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck injuries, including whiplash
- Spinal injuries and trauma
- Collarbone injuries
- Broken or fractured ribs
- Soft tissue injuries
- Internal bleeding or bruising
- Broken bones and fractures, particularly in the arms, legs, hips, and pelvis
These accidents can also have a psychological effect on survivors. Many car accident survivors report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as increased anxiety and depression. Some survivors also report developing amaxophobia, or a fear of being in cars.
Emergency Medical Care Can Prevent Injuries From Developing Into Disabilities
It’s with the risk of long-lasting physical and psychological conditions in mind that we encourage car accident survivors to seek out medical attention as soon as they can after serious accidents. Seemingly minor conditions can develop into lifelong disabilities the longer you let them go unchecked.
Taking Steps to Protect Yourself After a Car Accident
If you want to stay one step ahead of the conditions that might permanently impact your quality of life, our team recommends that you:
- Check yourself and any vehicle passengers for injuries after an accident if it is safe to do so
- Get yourself and any vehicle passengers to a safe location without leaving the scene of an accident
- Call 911 and remain on the scene until emergency responders arrive
- If it is safe to do so, exchange information with the other party involved in your accident
You should not pursue someone who attempts to flee from an accident scene, especially not if you’re injured. Instead, document your accident scene and try to get a picture of the other driver’s license plate. You can share any information from your accident scene with police officers, who can then pursue the party responsible for your collision.
Filing an Insurance Claim After a Collision
You can file an insurance claim with a provider following a severe accident, but we recommend waiting until you have an Atlanta car accident attorney on your team to start the process.
Insurance adjusters can undervalue your losses, minimize your lost income, and dismiss your expensive medical bills. We can help you challenge their attempts to reduce your damages.
If you don’t get the financial support you need from an insurance provider, even after an attorney helps you build your claim, you can work with legal professionals to take your fight for car accident support to civil court.
According to Georgia’s personal injury statute of limitations, Georgia Code § 9-3-33, you have no more than two years to act on your losses.
Our Team Can Help You Recover After a Car Accident
We make it possible for you to pursue compensation for your losses without infringing on your need to cope with the aftermath of your accident.
When you work with an experienced lawyer to streamline your recovery, you leave yourself space to go to rehab or physical therapy. You can also schedule an appointment with a therapist to discuss psychological trauma tied to your crash.
You Can Take Steps to Minimize Your Risk of an Accident
While you can never control how other people behave on the road, there are steps you can take to avoid getting into an accident with another motor vehicle.
Our team recommends that you always wear your seatbelt and obey local roadway signs. Make sure you pay attention to the road and other drivers so you can react to abrupt changes in roadway conditions.
You can also:
- Avoid speeding
- Put away any distractions that might compromise your focus behind the wheel
- Adjust your headrest before you hit the road
- Declutter your car
- Ask passengers to minimize distractions and avoid putting their feet on your dashboard
- Sit a reasonable distance back from your steering wheel
- Maintain a safe following distance between your car and someone else’s
- Stay aware of your blind spots
- Ensure that your car receives regular maintenance
If you do get into an accident and need to prove that someone else’s negligence, not yours, caused your collision, you can point to the steps you took to preserve your safety.
Emphasizing your preventative behaviors can make it easier for you to recover the damages you need to get back on your feet after a collision.
A Quote from John Foy
When asked about the severity of today’s vehicular accidents, a representative from John Foy said the following:
“The staggering number of car accidents seen in the United States suggests that today’s drivers need to be reminded about the dangers of inattention behind the wheel.
At least one person falls victim to a car accident injury every five minutes in our country. Families spend an estimated $18 billion recovering from their injuries.
It’s time for us to improve the tools we have to address the widespread physical and emotional damage that car accidents cause. If we can prioritize roadway safety and access to immediate medical care, we have the chance to reduce survivors’ risks of developing avoidable physical and psychological conditions.”
Taking Steps Toward a Safer Future
It’s difficult to understate the physical and financial toll that motor vehicle accidents take on families throughout the United States. Even minor accidents can see victims develop lifelong chronic pain, joint stiffness, and psychological conditions like anxiety or depression.
2022 saw families spend over $18 billion on injury care after preventable car accidents over the course of 2.76 million emergency department visits.
We believe that increased awareness about the dangers of inattentive driving may encourage drivers to take proactive steps to prioritize their safety on the road.
Drivers who make a point to wear their seatbelts, avoid distractions, and maintain their cars may find themselves less likely to get involved in debilitating accidents than their peers.
We hope to empower drivers with information about the steps they can take to prevent accidents and, in case of a collision, streamline their recovery.
