AAMI Reveals Most Common Injuries in Car Crashes for First Time
/EINPresswire.com/ Having examined more than 15,000 Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance claims from New South Wales and Queensland in the 10 years since 2002
In the hope that drivers will think more carefully about their actions on the road, leading national car insurer, AAMI is for the first time revealing the most common types of injury suffered by innocent, third-party victims of car crashes.
Having examined more than 15,000 Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance claims from New South Wales and Queensland in the 10 years since 2002, the top five types of injury claimed for after a car crash are:
1. Upper extremity: arm and shoulder (23%)
2. Cervical spine: whiplash (18%)
3. Skin: usually cuts and burns (17%)
4. Lower extremity: legs, pelvis, buttocks (13%)
5. Psychological (9%)
Using the internationally recognised Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) the majority of third party injuries that AAMI sees are considered Minor (65%), for example a car passenger hitting their elbow during a crash which requires physiotherapy, but that is not actually broken.
However, AAMI has also seen hundreds of cases that fall in to the Severe to Maximal (that is, non-survivable or fatal injuries), which include anything from brain injuries through to spinal damage, quadriplegia, serious burns and even decapitation.
A moment's distraction or loss of concentration while driving can have absolutely disastrous consequences not just for you, but for innocent road users or pedestrians, according to AAMI spokesperson, Reuben Aitchison.
"AAMI sees the results of hundreds of thousands of car crashes every single year, and while most of them are just basic prangs or dings, we also see much, much worse."
The psychological trauma of a car crash, both for people directly involved in the accident and for first responders and witnesses, is also an extremely common affliction and is often the forgotten impact of an accident.
"Psychological trauma is a very real and serious problem for many people after an accident. People respond to trauma in many different ways, and often the psychological impacts won't show themselves for weeks, months or even years after the accident," Mr Aitchison commented.
"Safety features in modern cars have improved dramatically in recent times, but there is only so much they can do to protect our fragile human bodies, given the enormous forces and energy released in a crash, whether a passenger or pedestrian."
"Cars can be repaired or replaced, but the damage to the human body in an accident can be catastrophic and permanent and there is not a single text message, GPS adjustment or song change that is worth causing that kind of damage to someone's life."
AAMI recently revealed that of the nearly 275,000 motor insurance claims it received in one year, 28 percent involved one car going in to the back of another, while a fifth (20.2%) were due to a failure to give way and a further 14.4% involved a collision with a stationary object.
- ENDS -
At AAMI, we know that you want to be sure your car is properly protected by the insurance policy you purchase. AAMI is a leading provider of comprehensive car insurance with benefits such as lifetime repair guarantee; lifetime rating one and valet service. Insurance issued by Australian Associated Motor Insurers Ltd (AAMI). Refer to the Product Disclosure Statement at aami.com.au or call 13 22 44.
Media Contact:
David Skapinker
AAMI
0467 801 922
http://www.aami.com.au/contact-aami/contact-details
PR courtesy of Online PR Media.
In the hope that drivers will think more carefully about their actions on the road, leading national car insurer, AAMI is for the first time revealing the most common types of injury suffered by innocent, third-party victims of car crashes.
Having examined more than 15,000 Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance claims from New South Wales and Queensland in the 10 years since 2002, the top five types of injury claimed for after a car crash are:
1. Upper extremity: arm and shoulder (23%)
2. Cervical spine: whiplash (18%)
3. Skin: usually cuts and burns (17%)
4. Lower extremity: legs, pelvis, buttocks (13%)
5. Psychological (9%)
Using the internationally recognised Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) the majority of third party injuries that AAMI sees are considered Minor (65%), for example a car passenger hitting their elbow during a crash which requires physiotherapy, but that is not actually broken.
However, AAMI has also seen hundreds of cases that fall in to the Severe to Maximal (that is, non-survivable or fatal injuries), which include anything from brain injuries through to spinal damage, quadriplegia, serious burns and even decapitation.
A moment's distraction or loss of concentration while driving can have absolutely disastrous consequences not just for you, but for innocent road users or pedestrians, according to AAMI spokesperson, Reuben Aitchison.
"AAMI sees the results of hundreds of thousands of car crashes every single year, and while most of them are just basic prangs or dings, we also see much, much worse."
The psychological trauma of a car crash, both for people directly involved in the accident and for first responders and witnesses, is also an extremely common affliction and is often the forgotten impact of an accident.
"Psychological trauma is a very real and serious problem for many people after an accident. People respond to trauma in many different ways, and often the psychological impacts won't show themselves for weeks, months or even years after the accident," Mr Aitchison commented.
"Safety features in modern cars have improved dramatically in recent times, but there is only so much they can do to protect our fragile human bodies, given the enormous forces and energy released in a crash, whether a passenger or pedestrian."
"Cars can be repaired or replaced, but the damage to the human body in an accident can be catastrophic and permanent and there is not a single text message, GPS adjustment or song change that is worth causing that kind of damage to someone's life."
AAMI recently revealed that of the nearly 275,000 motor insurance claims it received in one year, 28 percent involved one car going in to the back of another, while a fifth (20.2%) were due to a failure to give way and a further 14.4% involved a collision with a stationary object.
- ENDS -
At AAMI, we know that you want to be sure your car is properly protected by the insurance policy you purchase. AAMI is a leading provider of comprehensive car insurance with benefits such as lifetime repair guarantee; lifetime rating one and valet service. Insurance issued by Australian Associated Motor Insurers Ltd (AAMI). Refer to the Product Disclosure Statement at aami.com.au or call 13 22 44.
Media Contact:
David Skapinker
AAMI
0467 801 922
http://www.aami.com.au/contact-aami/contact-details
PR courtesy of Online PR Media.
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