Accidents, personal injuries and insurance claims are here to stay. No matter how far into the 21st Century Americans elect to drive (unless by the beginning of the 22nd Century were all zipping around in our own personal space ship) motor vehicle accidents will continue to pile up; with no end in sight!

• There are more than 200,000,000 licensed drivers in the United States. (As of 2003 were close to a yearly 7 million motor vehicle accidents, involving well over 3.5 million injuries).

• Car accident crashes cost society an estimated $4,900 per second. Thats about $25,000 in the time it took to read this fact.

• Current records show that most American drivers will have a near motor vehicle accident 1 to 3 times per month and will be in a collision of some type on the average of every 5 to 8 years plus these records also indicate that licensed teenagers are 22 more times likely to get a speeding ticket than those who are 65 years of age or older.

• In 1896 there were only four cars registered in all the United States. Two of them collided with each other in St. Louis.

• By the year 2025 there will be 33 million people 70 years or older in America. This segment of the population will be growing 2.5 as fast as the total population. They will make up the largest percentage of the turning left and rear end accidents. Slowly but surely Senior Citizens have developed a higher accident ratio than teenagers. (This will, in time, seriously impact the typical Senior Citizens pocketbook). And also, by 2025, the total costs for motor vehicle accidents in the United States will exceed 450 billion dollars.

• The worlds most solitary tree is located at an oasis in the Tenere Desert in Central Africa. Theres not one other standing tree within 31 miles. In 1960, it was smashed into by a truck.

• Up-to-date statistics clearly reflect that 1 out of every 5 Americans are involved in an alcohol-related car crash at some time in their lives and the day in which motor vehicle accident injuries occur most often is Saturday. Sunday is second.

FIVE CRUCIAL MEDICAL DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAVE SLOWLY BUT SURELY COME TO PASS. THESE WILL SERIOUSLY (AND FOREVER) IMPACT THE VALUE OF PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS IN THE YEARS TO COME:

1. Records prove that a motor vehicle accident of as little speed as 5 MPH can produce a whiplash-type injury.

2. The symptoms arising from an injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident do not necessarily present themselves immediately following an accident.

3. Medical research and clinical experience have accumulated enough information to demonstrate that the delay of an injury symptom is the norm.

4. Studies have established that the delay of a symptom does not eliminate the possibility of severe injury.

5. Its been proven that individuals can continue to be symptomatic for many months (even years!) after a motor vehicle accident. In addition approximately 75% of them remain symptomatic for a minimum of 6 months after the accident. (And current up-to-date statistics reveal that between the first and second year after an accident has occurred over 20% of those injured actually have their symptoms worsen).

Copyright (c) 2003 by Daniel G. Baldyga. All Rights Reserved

DISCLAIMER: The only purpose of this article, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT FACTOIDS has been created to help people understand the motor vehicle accident claim process

Dan Baldyga makes no guarantee of any kind whatsoever; NOR to substitute for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, or claims consultant, or the like. Where such professional help is desired it is the INDIVIDUALS RESPONSIBILITY to obtain said services.

Dan Baldyga worked for over 30 years as an insurance adjuster, supervisor, manager and trial assistant. Since his retirement he has written 3 highly successful How To Insurance Claim books. His latest: AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM (How To Evaluate And Settle Your Loss) which includes BASE, The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula for determining the value of ones Pain And Suffering, can be found on the internet at http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com.

Dan Baldyga

Dan Baldyga has a lifetime of experience in the field of motor vehicle accidents, personal injury and compensation. From 1951 thru 1955 he worked his way through college employed by the Dolan-Whitney Detective Agency of Springfield, MA. His assignments included insurance fraud, missing persons, financial and background investigations and undercover operations.

Upon graduation from American International College in 1955, where he played 1st string varsity quarterback for 3 years, Baldyga was drafted into the United States Navy where and was assigned to a ?Special Unit? in Criminal Investigations. After serving in the Navy, he entered the world of insurance claims, where he began as an Adjuster, was promoted to Supervisor, and then to Claims Manager for 33 years. He then spent another five years of his career assisting company attorneys at court trials.

In 1968, Baldyga wrote the groundbreaking HOW TO SETTLE YOUR OWN INSURANCE CLAIM, published by Macmillan. This revolutionary concept (to assist laymen with their insurance claims) created a heated debate within both the insurance and legal industries -- because it revealed, the secrets surrounding the settlement of motor vehicle accident claims. This had never been done before!

Baldyga appeared on hundred?s of television and radio talk shows throughout the United States including the Mike Douglas Show where he made the observation, ?Insurance is an ultra-conservative industry that breeds unimaginative, narrow minded men?. It took a wealth of twisting and turning to dodge the verbal bullets fired at him from his Home Office.

His publications also include the 1983 novel A SAILOR REMEMBERS and his second ?How To? insurance claim book, SECRETS NEVER TOLD was released in 1998.

Upon his retirement, Baldyga decided that it was time to publish the definitive self-help guide concerning motor vehicle accident personal injury claims.

After examining mountains of statistics and confidential reports, he created BASE (The Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula). Experts have called his personal injury evaluation method ?Amazing? and ?Revolutionary.? THE BASE FORMULA is ingenious, yet matter-of-fact, simple, yet accurate, and eliminates the mystery of how to place a monetary value on ?Pain and Suffering? one has endured - - because of their personal injury!

His new book, AUTO ACCIDENT PERSONAL INJURY INSURANCE CLAIM goes into specific detail regarding THE BASE FORMULA.