Top three myths about the Civil Liability Bill

With the proposed Civil Liability Bill now in the House of Commons, personal injury lawyers are campaigning for people’s rights to claim compensation. Coodes Chartered Legal Executive Julie Hatton debunks the top three myths about the Civil Liability Bill.

Personal injury lawyers are campaigning for changes to the proposed Civil Liability Bill, arguing that injured people, who are making claims, could be facing a significant blow to their rights. This has come about despite the fact that the claims are now at the lowest level since 2009, dropping by 17% in the past year.

Under the proposed measures of the Civil Liability Bill, insurers will be excused from paying full compensation to anyone who has been injured through no fault of their own.

The insurance industry has promised that premiums for motor vehicles will fall as a result of the bill. Like many personal injury lawyers, I believe that this will not be the case.

There are many myths around personal injury claims, some of which are not founded in truth or fact, and are easily debunked. Here are the top three.

1. Whiplash claims are spiralling out of control

The truth is actually the complete opposite: the number and cost of whiplash claims are actually falling. In the period of 2016 to 2017, the number of claims fell by 10% while the costs of claims plummeted by 9%.

In fact, during the same period, the average car insurance premium increased by 9%, yet the cost to insurers of all motor-related personal injury claims fell by 9% during the time.

2. Many whiplash claims are fraudulent or ‘crash for cash’ schemes

In fact, fraud makes up just 0.22% of all motor-related claims with personal injury fraud making up just a part of that. Whiplash-related fraud comprises an even smaller fraction of that percentage.

3. Lawyers have only concerned themselves with the discount rate because of the effect on their earnings

The discount rate is nothing to do with how, or how much, an injured person’s representative is paid. It only applies to the compensation allocated for that injured person’s losses in the future, for example, to cover the cost of nursing care, replacement wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs, as well as loss of earnings.

Here at Coodes we recognise that even a relatively minor injury can have a long-lasting effect, with many people having to make major lifestyle changes as a result. So, whatever the outcome of the Civil Liability Bill, we will remain committed to helping anyone who needs support to get back on track after an injury as best we can.

For more information from Coodes Solicitors, contact Julie Hatton in the Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence team on 01326 214 036 or julie.hatton@coodes.co.uk.