It is perfectly normal to feel a bit nervous about getting into a car accident each time you get behind the wheel.  Or maybe even just going out for a walk is not completely safe, as approximately 74,000 people are struck by a car in the U.S. in pedestrian accidents each year.

It turns out, however, that there are plenty of other injuries more likely to occur, some less harmful, some more so.  You are most likely to slam your finger in the door when the car isn’t even moving.

At nearly 150,000 car accidents per year, injuries caused by a closing door are the most common type of auto accident, according to a report released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  The report evaluated the type and amount of non-traffic-related injuries nationwide, and this marks the first time the government agency has compiled such data along with car accident data.

Along with those people who injured themselves closing a car door, another 10,000 each year are seriously injured when using a jack or other type of hoist.  A full 74,000 are injured by a falling car or car part.

Data for the report were compiled by the NHTSA, the traffic department of the U.S. Department of Transportation.  They were collected primarily through police reports in 2007, death certificates and the number of fatalities registered by the Not-in-Traffic Surveillance system, a virtual data collector of details regarding non-traffic car accidents nationwide.

Researchers estimated an annual total of 1,747 fatalities and 841,000 injuries due to non-traffic crashes and non-crash car accidents.  Non-traffic car accidents include back-over incidents and single-car accidents that did not occur on a national highway.

An estimated 98,000 injuries occur in non-traffic car accidents on private roads, driveway pedestrian car accidents, and two-car accidents in parking facilities, the report claimed, while 743,000 injuries happened from non-crash car accidents like hyperthermia and electrocution.

Unfortunately, car accidents that happen while the car is parked or immobile are not covered by auto insurance, according to Sam Belden, vice president of Insurance.com.

Second on the list is overexertion, causing 88,000 injuries annually. The category includes loading and unloading cargo or pushing a disabled vehicle.

The director of traffic services for the New York State Police, says the latter is always a bad idea, especially during the winter. He recommends using kitty litter and a small shovel to get traction on snow and ice — not your buddy pushing the vehicle from behind.

“It’s something that can be a dangerous situation,” he says. “The best thing to do is try to get out on your own first by using those techniques and trying by rocking your car back and forth gently. It’s so easy for someone to slip on the ice and fall down and get run over.”

As car accident lawyers, we handle mostly the common notion of a car accident, which involves two cars crashing into each other.  But the car accidents mentioned in the above report are statistically the most common types of car accidents, and therefore, we, as car accident attorneys, urge you to beware of these unexpected types of car accidents also.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney after you get into a car accident and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.