How BioRID dummies help minimise whiplash claims
Car manufacturers are, of course, keen to improve their safety features to prevent the kinds of personal injury that could lead to a whiplash claim being made, and one of the methods through which this is done is through the use of crash test dummies. For whiplash-type collisions, the BioRID dummy is often used.
This manikin's name is a contraction of "Biofidelic Rear Impact Dummy", meaning that it is designed to be true to the effects on a live person in a collision from behind. This is done through the articulation of the dummy's back to mimic the human spine as closely as possible; the fact that car accident testing companies, such as Thatcham, use the second model of the BioRID (at the time of writing) shows that development occurs, and future models may therefore achieve a greater closeness to the human spine.
The current model's articulation is achieved through the use of 24 vertebra-like blocks, mirroring the human spine from the point at which it meets the skull to the point at which it joins the pelvis. These are hinged together to follow the same freedoms of movement that the human back has, and cushioned with rubber to match the body tissue between each joint in the spine.
It also uses a soft, fleshlike, silicon rubber for the dummy's soft tissues, making it more likely to imitate the effects on a live person of a rear-impact road traffic accident.
It is also loaded with sensors to measure movement, including hyperflexion, in the car occupant's body, which give the researchers the best possible information to work with at this point.
Making a whiplash claim after a real collision
Whereas a crash test dummy can be easily fixed, a human neck injury can cause pain and incapacity for long periods, even in a low-speed collision. If you have received personal injury through no fault of your own, then we at YouClaim can help you pursue compensation to help you with the costs you incur.
We do so on an entirely free basis, whether you win or lose. All our whiplash compensation solicitors will handle cases on a no win, no fee basis, protecting you if you lose; we also ensure that our fee is charged to your opponent (or our insurance), in a won case. No costs or disbursements separate to fees will be charged to you either. Plus we ensure you receive 100 percent compensation awarded to you in a won case. Our success rate is enviably high, and all our personal injury lawyers are drawn from firms governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which shows you can have confidence in our work. We can discuss your whiplash claim in confidence, and without asking any commitment from you, in plain English - just chat to us online, call 0800 10 757 95, or leave us a claim form and we'll call you back at a time of your choice.
