Whiplash associated disorders (WAD) resulting from rear‐end collisions continue to be a major concern. This case‐control study is aimed at identifying possible predictors for WAD claims from struck car occupants using EDR (event data recorder) and insurance data. It made use of the first large‐scale EDR dataset available in Switzerland. Through analysis of 168 real‐world collisions, calculated crash severity metrics, such as change of velocity (delta‐v) and mean acceleration, were compared to medical data. The data was separated into a WAD and a control group. It was shown that the delta‐v and the mean acceleration differed significantly for the two groups. A corresponding risk curve confirmed an increase in injury risk for higher crash severity. Mean acceleration was found to be a slightly better predictor for WAD risk than delta‐v. No association was found between crash severity measures and the QTF score (severity score according to Quebec Task Force). Sick leave duration did, however, correlate with impact severity, while it did not correlate with the QTF code. The study confirms previous research in the field by highlighting the link between impact severity and WAD risk. However, the QTF score seems to be of limited use for WAD claims management.