According to new figures from Datamonitor the number of personal injury claims made in 2003 fell for the first time since 2000.
The figures signal a change in the trend of Britain's compensation culture, with the number of ‘slip and trip' claims falling to 91,453 in the year to March 2004, 16.7% fewer than the year before.
The 9% rise in claims last year arose from the mass claims related to the British Coal respiratory disease scheme, registration for which ended in March.
All other types of claims saw a decline. Motor accident claims fell 6% and clinical negligence claims fell 10.7%. Other claims were down by 15%.
