The Ministry of Justice have started a consultation on reforms with the aim to reduce the epidemic of claims we are witnessing here in Britain. According to statistics there are now 2.7 claims for whiplash for every accident that involves someone in the vehicle being injured.
The Numbers:
If a change comes out of this reform and the Government moves to clamp down on bogus whiplash claims the average motor insurance premium could be reduced by £50 a year. The large amounts of claims are currently costing each motor policy holder around £90 a year. Insurers now pay out £2 billion each year in compensation and legal costs for whiplash.
The total number of all injury claims made from road accidents has increased from 519,000 in 2006 to 828,000 in the past year. However, interestingly the total number of road accidents has fallen by one fifth.
Crash for Cash
The new reform hopes to clamp down on ‘crash for cash’ gangs; these are people who willingly get themselves involved in road traffic accidents in order to gain a financial benefit. ‘Crash for cash’ fraudsters will often stage accidents by deliberately crashing into each other in order to make insurance claims or will make insurance claims on accidents that haven’t even taken place. They will also attempt to cause innocent drivers to crash into the back of them meaning they can then make a bogus insurance claim and also claim for whiplash – it’s these sorts of things that the Government need to stamp out in order to reduce motor policy premiums.
The Problem:
We live in a world where it has become acceptable to claim £2-3,000 for an injury, even if there isn’t one – or it was so minor it was nothing that a few painkillers couldn’t fix. The problem is that whiplash claims are really difficult for insurers to disprove – it’s not something that shows up on scans or x-rays, meaning claim companies and insurers have to rely on the honest of the British public.
Call for Effective Diagnosis
The Ministry of Justice have plans to come up with an action plan which will support effective whiplash diagnosis with the help of medical experts as well as simplifying the process to ensure that genuine victims can make a claim and receive the compensation they deserve.
There are, unfortunately, a large amount of people each year that are badly injured after being in a road traffic collision that need and deserve to claim as they have lost money due to being off work or more importantly have lost some of their quality of life.
Not only will effective diagnosis for whiplash ensure that genuine claimants receive a pay-out quickly and efficiently it will also reduce the chance of fraud – lowering insurance premiums in the long run.
If You Do Genuinely Have Whiplash…
Whiplash is where the ligaments in your neck have been overstretched causing a sprain, it can lead to stiffness and loss of movement as well as headaches. It can be very painful and if you believe you or a loved one genuinely has developed whiplash after being involved in a road traffic collision you should go to the hospital and get it checked out, contact your insurer as well as a claims company.
This post was written by Meredith Watts on behalf of Claim Advance, specialists in road traffic accidents and personal injury claims, helping you receive the compensation you deserve.