Whiplash claims increase

The Association of British Insurers has released details of a report that contain figures for whiplash incidents and claims over the last few years, and the results are worrying.

What the report shows is a high increase in claims, such as in 2007 when over 430,000 recorded incidents were filed, which is a full 25% increase on filed claims just five years before, costing insurance groups around £2 billion in pay outs.

Of course, the number of drivers has increased over the last five years, but the likes of The Association of British Insurers are doubting whether that figure would run in parallel with the incident figures.

The Association of British Insurers reports that the UK has an extremely high amount of claims for whiplash as part of the personal injury as a whole.

For instance, in the rest of Europe an average of 40% of all personal injury related claims are for whiplash, whereas in the UK an astonishing 75% of claims are related to whiplash.

The Association of British Insurers has warned that many incidents are down to head rests which are not suitably adjusted, and that many accidents are caused in the first place by the dreaded tail gaters.

The government have been alerted and the Association of British Insurers have suggested that tighter procedures are put in place for learner drivers, and that tail gating drivers are taken a lot more seriously.