Book excerpt: Road traffic injuries are a neglected global pandemic. Up to 50 million people a year worldwide are injured or disabled in car accidents. The deleterious impact on the global economy is immense. Thousands of those injured die of opiate overdoses, trying to deal with chronic pain. The post-accident life of a survivor is all too often devastated by spinal or severe orthopedic injuries, depression, anxiety, PTSD, sleep disturbances, mild episodic or chronic pain, and/or a traumatic brain injury that can cause personality changes, cognitive and memory impairments, and debilitating fatigue. A substantially reduced quality of life with career changes and setbacks, broken and overstressed relationships, and financial hardships that continue for many years, often ensue. First Responders, healthcare providers, the survivors’ community and to the largest degree, the survivors’ family, are forced to deal with the staggering impacts. Auto accidents can dramatically alter lives, forever. Where do survivors and their families go for help? How do survivors heal and get their lives back? Everyone is desperate for hope and evidence-based solutions to manage disabling conditions and ultimately reclaim their lives. Thisis the first book to offer comprehensive, evidence-based information to both the survivors and their caregivers on understanding, managing, and healing physical and emotional traumas sustained in auto accidents. Based on James Zender's more than fifteen years’ experience as a clinical psychologist specializing in auto-accident trauma care, Recovering From Your Car Accident leads survivors and their families through the extensive process of emotional and physical recovery. With empathy and compassion, Dr. Zender explains how to conquer the multitude of challenges that often result from auto accidents, including managing pain, depression, and anxiety, addressing concerns about the future and finances, personality changes, emotional and cognitive dysfunction, post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and strained personal relationships. Through stories recounted by Dr. Zender's patients, survivors will learn that they are not alone and that there is hope for a better tomorrow. Policymakers will gain insight into accident prevention and will be inspired to implement policy improvements to better meet the needs of the auto accident community. Helpful tips throughout this book and a resource section featuring the best online and community support options will aid survivors and their families with rehabilitation. Recovering from Your Car Accident willassist survivors with rebuilding their lives and discovering new ways to thrive.