Personal injury claims and whiplash shames
It has been revealed that the cost of car insurance has increased due to the ever growing rise of road accident claims.
As a result, responsible motorists and industry experts alike are complaining that insurance fraud and whiplash claims are the sole reason as to why, in a recession, insurance cover has soared.
The Automobile Association (AA) has even claimed that it is struggling to make a profit through this insurance branch because of false claims, such as ‘crash-for-cash’ cons.
Consequently, it is becoming vital for providers to separate genuine claims from the fake ones.
Simon Douglas, Director of the AA, said that UK motorists were more likely to make personal injury claims than in the past.
Mr Douglas stated: “This is encouraged by personal injury claims lawyers, whose marketing urges people to make claims and whose costs, as well as compensation for the claim, are met by the third party insurer.”
He furthered that insurance crime was on the up and that this meant that the cost of car insurance had to increase significantly to cope.
Very few people would allow insurance fraud, but to criticise people who seek to make compensation claims for whiplash is completely over the top, he noted.
Injury lawyers defend claims
Injury lawyers in the UK, like Douglas, are trying to enforce the view that there are drivers out there with real claims, and they should not be made ashamed when filing a case.
They have also attacked critics who have suggested that such professionals are depriving insurers of profits.
Mike Gibson, spokesman for an injury lawyer firm, said: “The accusations we're seeing are unfair, not least because the Association of British Insurers have suddenly realised that fraud is costing them twice as much as originally planned for. This is in conjunction with the accelerated rise in insurance fraud already detected. Injury caused by accident, on the other hand, is a serious issue that should never be trivialised, and neither should whiplash injury compensation.”
He added: “An accident does not have to be fatal or life-threatening to be either debilitating or damaging to an individual's health and income. Whiplash is commonly reported as a minor injury, but without prompt diagnosis and treatment, can become a crippling condition. It is entirely right that insurance companies should pay out for compensation.”
He concluded that all drivers should have the chance to a fair claim and justice after they have been hurt in an accident:
“Regardless of complaints from car insurance companies, the fact remains that when victims of accidents are entitled to compensation, their rights to access such compensation remains respected by applicable laws. Whether this discomfits car insurers is absolutely not an issue. If such companies have difficulty maintaining profits then this is better pinned on issues such as fraud in the sector, and poor business models, than inalienable rights to compensation,” he stated.
Updated on 23/02/2010