Whiplash
Legal Update: Consultations on small claims limit won't be plain sailing
The personal injury reforms announced in the Autumn Statement are to be welcomed. But is Chancellor George Osborne being too bold when he packages them as part of a wider plan to reduce car insurance premium?
Credit hire issues on the table at government motor reform meeting
Credit hire was on the agenda at a high-level government meeting yesterday (9 December) discussing the Autumn Statement, Post understands.
C-Suite - Insurer: Cash in hand
The insurance industry must show customers they will reap the benefits of government changes.
C-Suite - Insurer: Standing strong together
Regulation of CMCs is welcome, but the industry can also do its bit to show it isn’t a pushover.
Industry disputes claimant solicitor criticism of move to 'care, not cash' claims model
Criticism of the government’s acceleration of personal injury reforms in the motor market by the claimant legal fraternity has been dismissed by the wider insurance industry, which has welcomed a shift in claims from cash to care.
Government accelerates whiplash reforms to remove £1bn of costs
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne committed to accelerating motor injury reforms in today’s (25 November) Autumn Statement, which are expected to remove more than £1bn from the cost of providing motor insurance.
Aviva questions guidelines calling for 5% uptick in whiplash damages
Aviva has expressed disappointment at the Judicial College’s decision to advise in its 2015 guidance that the damages for lower value whiplash claims should rise by at least 5%.
Insurers dispute criticism of pre-med offers as driver of whiplash claims
Insurers have dismissed accusations that pre-medical offers are the main driver of erroneous whiplash claims and have instead criticised low quality medical reports while pointing the finger of blame at the claims management sector.
Mass chair takes swipe at insurers over pre-med offers for whiplash
The perception of whiplash as “easy money” is the fault of certain insurers making pre-medical offers, according to the chair of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society, who has questioned the extent to which claims management companies are fuelling fraud.
In Series: Liability and Collaboration: No more Mr Nice Guy
After years of running battles, the focus on fraud prevention has moved to the employer’s liability sector, with the industry keener than ever to show it is not a soft touch.
Whiplash fraudsters ordered to pay costs to Axa
A judge in Birmingham has thrown out a personal injury case after it was discovered that four individuals claiming to have suffered whiplash in a road traffic accident had never been in the vehicle in question.
Editor's Comment: Don't mention the whiplash
The Oxford Dictionary shows the definition of collaboration as the action of working with someone to produce something and I’m sure that this is what the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers’ president was encouraging when he wrote an open letter to…
Medco 'worth it' despite issue with certain business models, claims MoJ
The Ministry of Justice has vowed to “keep working” with the Medco portal, despite outlining issues with “some business models” since the new system went live in April.
Ageas' Watson calls for tripartite reduction to counter compensation culture
A tripartite approach that involves a reduction in the level of general damages, limitation period and recoverable costs is the “only way” to address the so-called compensation culture, according to Ageas UK CEO Andy Watson.
Insurers remain at odds with Apil over whiplash figures despite talk of collaboration
Insurers have welcomed calls by the president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers for greater collaboration, but have roundly rejected his argument that whiplash claims are on a downward trajectory.
Apil president calls for collaboration on CMCs and young driver safety
The president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers wants to “ratchet down the rhetoric” and create greater collaboration between insurers and claimant solicitors by targeting mutual priorities.
Manchester fraudsters sent to jail for whiplash scam
Five people from Manchester involved in a fraudulent whiplash claim scam have been jailed for a total of five years.
ABI urges government to tackle CMCs amid rising motor prices
The average price paid by motorists for an annual comprehensive motor insurance policy rose by 2.1% in Q2 compared to the first quarter of 2015.
Insurers round on Aviva following 'disingenuous' ABS accusations
Aviva has been criticised for playing the “blame game” in the fight against fraud following accusations that rival insurers with alternative business structures are guilty of “feeding the beast” of fraudulent whiplash claims.
CMC regulator and Apil back ethical marketing charter
An ethical marketing charter geared towards clamping down nuisance marketing and bad practice by rogue operators has been backed by the Claims Management Regulator and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.
Footballer's fundamentally dishonest whiplash case tossed out
A semi-professional footballer's claim for whiplash has been thrown out of court for being fundamentally dishonest.
Apil blasts Confused survey over whiplash claims
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers has rubbished claims that an increase in whiplash claims has led to higher motor policy prices.
Ifed investigates fake whiplash claims
An ongoing investigation into what is believed to be a large-scale referral fee fraud targeting solicitors saw nine people interviewed nationwide this week.