The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has released figures showing that the number of claims for whiplash injuries has fallen to a five-year low. The figures form part of the association’s evidence to a cross-party inquiry into the issue of whiplash claims and was obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request.
Welcoming the inquiry, which follows claims of fraud and excessive claims by the insurance industry and the Government, APIL’s President Matthew Stockwell said: “The Transport Committee inquiry finally presents a real chance to challenge hackneyed and groundless propaganda about whiplash-related injuries which has been promulgated by the insurance industry for far too long.”
“And it comes as a Freedom of Information request shows that whiplash claims in Britain fell again last year by nearly 60,000, bringing them to around the same level as in 2008/2009,” he added.
The actual figure for 2012/13 is 488,281, according to the figures obtained by APIL from the DWP Compensation Recovery Unit, compared to 547,405 for 2011/12.
Mr Stockwell continued: “Considering the congested state of the UK’s roads, the impact of improvements in car design and the compulsory use of seatbelts, it is no great mystery that there are significantly more whiplash injuries than catastrophic injuries and deaths from car accidents, and this is surely something we should welcome.”
The evidence submitted by APIL to the Transport Committee inquiry points out that a report from the World Bank shows that the UK has 79% more vehicles per kilometre of road compared with the European average. That is higher than Germany or The Netherlands and almost twice the number in France.
“One of the key purposes of car insurance premiums is precisely to ensure proper cover for such injuries,” said Mr Stockwell. “What is more ominous is that a report published only last month shows that 29% of our premiums is used to pay for repair costs and replacement vehicles, which is an aspect of claims which the Office of Fair Trading has already branded ‘dysfunctional’.
“This, combined with insurers’ staffing and overhead costs, accounts for more than half of the average premium, and this is where the real mischief lies.”
He continued: “This debate has been mired in myth and hyperbole for far too long. Whiplash injuries are real, they are painful, and independent research has found that around one in five sufferers have symptoms lasting more than a year. That’s the reality. The fact that the Transport Committee is now taking a hard look at some of the myths is extremely welcome.”