The American Journal of Public Health is reporting that women drivers are at a greater risk for injury or death during a car crash.  The study reports that because women are, on average, smaller and have less muscle mass than men, they are less likely to be restrained properly by the vehicle's safety systems, namely the air bag and seatbelt.  It has been shown that women are 47% more likely to be hurt while wearing a seatbelt than a man in the same crash.  Although men are 3x more likely to be involved in serious or fatal accidents, crashes among women have been steadily increasing over the last decade.  In our practice we commonly see this trend particularly as it relates to rear impact crashes where the smaller muscle mass in the neck is less protective to a woman from whiplash type injuries.  A large population study in 2010 has shown that between 50-85% of persons involved in a car crash will develop chronic pain and never fully recover.  To minimize injury we recommend that women maintain their seat back in an upright position, don't sit too close to the wheel, and to raise their headrest so it is higher than the top of their head.