Pensions - Articles - Car insurance injury claims lowest this decade

 “This discredits the principles behind the Civil Liability Bill, due to be debated by peers tomorrow, which the Government claims will reduce premiums by slashing injury compensation paid to people with whiplash injuries. It also targets payments made to people with the most devastating life-long disabilities,” said Brett Dixon, president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) national, not-for-profit campaign group for injured people. 

 “Injury claims are not behind rising premiums. The mischief clearly lies elsewhere,” he said.

 The number of motor injury claims for the past 10 years are as follows:

 2008/09 625,072
 2009/10 674,997
 2010/11 790,999
 2011/12 828,489
 2012/13 818,334
 2013/14 772,843
 2014/15 761,878
 2015/16 770,791
 2016/17 780,324
 2017/18 650,019

 “Motor claims are not rocketing. Insurance industry evidence also shows very clearly that the cost to insurance companies of motor injury claims has been falling for a long time, by 21 per cent since 2013 to be precise*,” said Mr Dixon.

 “This Bill will not achieve its aims to lower premium costs for motorists. The insurance industry will get away with using injured people as scapegoats. Any concept of fairness or compassion or help for genuinely injured people will sacrificed for the empty promise of cheaper car insurance.”