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Europe's whiplash capital: Compensation culture makes British



Britain’s compensation culture has made us the ‘whiplash capital of Europe’, with twice as many claims as France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Eight out of ten UK personal injury claims following road accidents are for neck injuries – making it the ‘fraud of choice’ for many.

The situation now costs the insurance industry more than £2.2billion a year and adds £90 to the average premium.



Worrying: Britain's compensation culture has made us the 'whiplash capital of Europe', with twice as many claims as France, Spain and the Netherlands

The figures form part of the Association of British Insurers’ evidence to an inquiry launched by the Transport Select Committee. It will show some 78 per cent of personal injury claims in the UK following road accidents are for whiplash.

This compares to 68 per cent in Italy, 61 per cent in Sweden, 35 per cent in the Netherlands, 31 per cent in Spain and 30 per cent in France and Denmark.

The ABI said there are no figures available for Germany, but that too is understood to be below the UK.




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The organisation says that despite injuries reported to the police between 2006 and 2011 falling by a fifth, the number of injury claims made by third parties has soared by 40 per cent.

James Dalton, the ABI’s head of motor and liability, said: ‘Insurers remain fully committed to ensuring access to justice for genuine claimants.


‘But the harsh reality is that the UK remains the whiplash capital of Europe, with our “have a go”compensation culture making whiplash the fraud of choice for many.


With an annual whiplash bill of £2billion adding an extra £90 a year to the average motor premium, tough action is needed to tackle this problem.’


The ABI is calling for medical assessment of personal injury claims by independent, accredited doctors with the latest training in soft tissue neck injuries.

It also wants a ‘fair and transparent method’ for calculating compensation for minor whiplash injuries, which is set independently.

Mr Dalton added: ‘Our proposals will ensure that genuine claimants receive access to justice at a proportionate cost, while driving out fraudulent and exaggerated whiplash claims that increase the cost of car insurance for honest motorists.’

The select committee announced last month it was calling for evidence ‘on reducing the number and costs of whiplash claims’ following recent inquiries into the cost of insurance.

Insurers and solicitors have been blaming each other for the soaring cost of premiums.

The legal profession says the plan put forward by insurers would boost their own profits and limit the rights of motorists with genuine injuries.

Transport select committee chairman Louise Ellman said: ‘It is vitally important for policymakers to understand the reasons for the very high cost of motor insurance, especially for young drivers, and to take steps to bring that cost down.

‘Whiplash claims undoubtedly play a part in driving up the cost of motor insurance, but access to justice for injured people must be preserved.’
The Motor Accident Solicitors’ Society said the ABI’s proposals ‘restrict access to justice’.
Lawyers fear future reforms ‘will distort the balance of rights between claimants and defendants’.

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