51 Reasons To Protect Your 6

by JEFF MOHR

80% of all rear end collisions are caused by following too close (tailgaters), inattentive drivers, distracted drivers and drivers with poor judgement. Don't let these drivers ruin your day, cripple your family, steal your deductible, wreck your vehicle or jeopardize your insurance. Here's 51 reasons compiled by the crash experts at superbumper.com on why you need to protect the rear of your vehicle from them.

1. The most frequent accident on the highway is the rear end collision - 29.7%. 2. 75% of rear end collisions are less than 10 mph. 3. Most are direct hits (which is why you don't need anything to protect the corners �C backing accidents get the corners). 4. 94% of rear end collisions occur on straight roads. 5. 46% of drivers aged 16 and 17 said they ��text�� while behind the wheel. 6. 1 in 5 drivers send text messages while driving. 7. 1,000,000 crashes are caused by driver inattention each year. 8. 20% of drivers admitted to falling asleep at the wheel. 9. 40% - typical insurance premium increase if a claim is made. 10. 52% of drivers are decelerating when they rear-end another vehicle. 11. $450 �C the average cost to repair a plastic bumper. 12. $900 �C the average cost to replace a plastic bumper. 13. $1,618 �C average cost to fix a full size pickup truck bumper from a 5 mph rear end collision �C in 2004 prices. 14. The lightest tap from a vehicle can leave damage from $450 to over $2,000 damage. 15. Twice�CWomen are twice as likely as a man to get a whiplash injury in a low speed (10 mph or less) rear end collision. 16. Low speed rear end collisions (less than 10 mph) accentuate the whiplash more than high speed ones. 17. 2.7 Billion �C the amount of money spent just to fix whiplash injuries. 18. $9,900 �C cost per claim for every whiplash injury. 19. 8 million �C that's how many plastic bumpers are replaced each year. 20. 2.5 mph �C The Federal Bumper Standard for passenger cars 21. 0 mph �C The Federal Bumper Standard for pickup trucks, SUVs & mini vans �C which is why they'll never get better. 22. 80% of bumper scratches occur during parking �C usually by the ��other guy��. 23. 30% of drivers feel it's OK to ��love tap�� your bumper when parallel parking. 24. 14% of all claims for auto damage involve parking lot conditions. 25. 79% of consumers claim their bumpers were damaged in a parking garage. 26. 77% of fuel system ruptures were the result of rear end collision damage. 27. 17 seconds �C a reported rear end collision occurs. 28. 8.5 seconds �C an unreported rear end collision occurs. 29. 35 minutes �C the time you'll spend at the accident scene filling out forms. 30. 78 minutes �C the time you'll spend filling out forms after your accident. 31. 4 hours �C the time you'll spend getting repair estimates. 32. 2 days �C the average time without your car. 33. 26% �C percent of uninsured drivers in Mississippi �C 25% in California and Alabama �C 24% in New Mexico �C 22% in Arizona. 34. 14.7% �C national average percentage of uninsured drivers on the road today (2004) �C if they hit you - you lose. 35. 3 times �C rear end impacts are three times as likely to result in a fatal fire. 36. 143 �C the number of people that die each year from a rear end collision fire. 37. $16,500 �C average cost per accident claim for employers. 38. $74,000 �C average cost per accident claim for employers if an on-the-job crash results in an injury. 39. $500,000 �C costs can exceed $500,000 for employers if the accident results in a fatality. 40. $20,000 �C extra money a company needs to make at a 5% profit margin to cover a $1,000 accident claim. 41. 3 times more likely to burn to death in a rear end collision than you are to kill someone by backing over them. 42. 25 times more money (estimated) is spent on fixing damage from a rear end collision than from backing. 43. 2.5 times �C The acceleration of the occupant when hit from the rear is 2.5 times that of the car. 44. 12 million �C the estimated number of rear-end collisions in the US every year �C both reported and unreported. 45. 38% �C Rear end collisions account for 38% of all the dollars paid for automobile claims. 46. 27 Years �C That's how long it's been since the passenger car has had 5 mph bumpers (1982). 47. 50,000 �C the number of times a person typically brakes each year to avoid a rear-end collision. 48. 80% percent of all rear end collisions are caused by driver inattention, tailgaters, external distraction (talking on cell phones, shaving, applying makeup, fiddling with the radio or CD player, kids, etc.) and poor judgment. 49. 3 major factors determine the price and value of a used vehicle: model year, mileage and condition. Take care of it. 50. 15 times �C If you are aware you are going to be rear ended and are able to brace yourself, you are 15 times less likely to experience chronic whiplash pain. 51. Talking on a cell phone makes you four times as likely to be involved in a serious auto accident as a driver not using a phone, and that ��texting�� was even worse, raising that risk by another 50 percent. Jeff is CEO of Mohr Mfg -