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Chiropractic:
Tim Skraitz  Minimizing
Crash Injuries
Tim is a Peters
Township resident with over 23 years of clinical experience. He
is Diplomate of American Academy of Pain Management and founder
of Drive to Stay Alive. Reach Tim at
skraitzchiropractic@yahoo.com or 724-941-2100
Each year I have the
privilege to be involved with ongoing research with regards to
diagnosis, treatment and the prevention of injuries sustained in
motor vehicle collisions. Over the past several years I have
participated in “live human crash studies” at the San Diego
Spine Research Institute in which human volunteers are placed in
controlled vehicle collisions. The information obtained in these
crash studies enables auto manufacturers to build safer cars for
occupants, as well as helping doctors worldwide effectively
diagnose, treat and manage soft tissue injuries resulting from
motor vehicle collisions.
Over the next
several issues I will present a seven-part series to readers on
ways to make your vehicle safer. Every year, approximately
42,000 people are killed in the United States in motor vehicle
collisions (MVC). This averages out to one death every 13
minutes! It is hard to accept that more people are killed each
month in motor vehicle collisions than were lost in the 9/11
terrorist attack. Sadly, motor vehicle collisions are also the
leading cause of preventable death in children. Recent
statistics revealed that 40 percent of all children killed in
MVC were not properly restrained. This study also revealed that
89 percent of parents using child restraint systems did not know
how to use them properly or installed them ineffectively.
Locally, every year
we hear of a friend or loved one who became seriously injured or
killed as a result of MVC. I have made it my mission to educate
the public on ways to prevent injuries in MVC as well as how to
effectively manage these injuries should they occur.
In the United
States, approximately 3 million whiplash injuries occur in MVC.
Out of those injured about half will suffer long-term symptoms
and 10 percent will become disabled. Studies show that 80
percent of drivers do not properly restrain themselves, thus
creating the potential for injury. In this first article I will
address ways to minimize whiplash injuries to the neck by
properly restraining the occupants.
In fact, a few
simple interventions can save many lives and prevent a lot of
lifetime suffering.
Seatbelts
Always wear your
seatbelt and shoulder Harness. The safest place for you in a
crash is sitting securely in your seat. Many fatal crashes occur
at relatively low speeds. You double your chances of survival by
wearing your seatbelt and shoulder harness.
1. The belt should
cross your shoulder and rest on your hips and pelvis.
2. Pregnant women
should place restraint belts over and under the abdomen. Without
the seatbelt properly positioned the injuries from a collision
are likely to be much more serious to the mother and the fetus.
In most cases, in a
frontal crash with restraints, you will stay safely in your seat
and away from the car’s interior parts. In a frontal crash
without restraints, as your car stops abruptly your baby will
keep moving forward at the same speed as the car.
Many people
mistakenly believe that they can brace against the steering
wheel and avoid a serious injury in a frontal type crash.
However, even at
only 25 mph, an unrestrained driver can strike the steering
wheel with the same force as falling from a third floor balcony
onto the street below. A properly worn seat belt can minimize
the extent of your injuries……….SO WEAR THEM!
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