Claim For Whiplash - Numbers Diminishing

Is the UK winning the war on whiplash?

Whiplash injury constitutes two thirds of all personal injury claims in the UK and has given the country a reputation for being the whiplash capital of Europe. Insurers and safety campaigners are joining together to try and combat this perennial problem with new methods that will set scientific guidelines for the definition of the condition, as well as improving car safety.

Whiplash claims amount to £1.9billion in insurance payouts annually and also put a huge drain on NHS resources, costing the health service £8billion in consultation fees alone. However, Thatcham, a renowned vehicle safety research centre, has been enlisted by the European safety organisation NCAP to test the most popular cars for their ability to protect passengers and drivers against the effects of whiplash. Their findings on the initial research were cause for concern. Three cars, previously considered to offer five star protection for Adult Occupancy Safety, have been proven to offer only 'poor' protection in the event of rear end collisions at low speed. A total of 80% of seats tested failed to offer proper protection. One of the three cars previously considered to have an excellent safety record and carrying a five star NCAP rating actually scored zero in the series of tests carried out by Thatcham.

The tests centred on the ability of seats to offer protection from rear end collisions and included three dynamic sled tests - two at low speed and one at a higher speed. Although some of the seats tested withstood low speed impacts relatively well, at higher speeds they were shown to offer no protection at all to passengers against the effects of whiplash.

The test report is being submitted to the vehicle manufacturers in the hope that the information provided will help them to develop better seats and head restraints to reduce the amount of injuries caused to the neck and shoulders in the event of a collision.

Thatcham has also carried out extensive research into the probability of whiplash injury at various speeds and as a result the company has developed the WITkit - a statistical analysis of the potential for whiplash injuries at a range of speeds. This has the backing of the scientific and legal communities and it is hoped will provide a benchmark for insurers and claims specialists to define whether a whiplash injury is the probable result of an impact.

Whiplash injury claims not only cost the insurance companies and the NHS money. Because of the amount paid out each year for people making a claim for whiplash, it has led to an increase in the cost of insurance policies for all motorists and has also led to whiplash developing a reputation for being an easy way to make a claim. Specialist claims solicitors are hoping that with the developments in testing and statistical analysis presented by Thatcham, the legal profession finally has some clear guidelines on the likelihood of whiplash injury in certain situations, thus making it easier to clarify if a claim is genuine. This will help to ensure that genuine victims of what can be a very painful and debilitating injury secure the compensation they deserve, whilst weeding out the more ‘suspect’ claims. It could also mean cheaper car insurance for all UK drivers and, most importantly, an improvement in vehicle safety design that could prevent passengers and drivers from being injured in the future. Thatcham’s research could mean that the tide is finally turning and that the UK can ultimately win the war on whiplash.

You Need To Know More Vital Information About Whiplash?

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What does it mean if you have Legal Expense Insurance (and do you have to use the solicitor that they tell you too if you do not want to)?
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How to quickly obtain a replacement car or motorcycle if you need to
Why accepting an offer directly from the other driver's insurance company could cost you thousands of pounds and lead to longterm injury problems

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