A low-speed collision is one that occurs while both vehicles are traveling at five miles per hour or lower. Low-speed car accidents are most common on busy roads and highways with congested traffic. Some drivers may pick up their cellphones or engage in other distracted driving habits to pass the time in slow traffic. This can lead to low-speed collisions with vehicles in front that have stopped without the distracted driver noticing.
Low-speed accidents can also happen due to rubbernecking. A crash on the side of the road may distract a driver enough not to notice the reduction of traffic speed, leading to a second accident. Low-speed crashes usually take the form of rear-end collisions. In a rear-end collision, the driver in the front car’s head and neck may whip forward and backward rapidly from the force of the crash.
It is possible to suffer whiplash even in a low-speed crash. At any speed, the back-and-forth motion from a rear-end collision could be enough to damage the soft tissues in the neck. In higher speed collisions, however, injuries can be more severe. Moderate to high-speed accidents are more likely to cause injuries such as fractured bones, traumatic brain injuries and internal injuries.