72% of personal injury claims handled by PIAB are motor accidents
The Irish Personal Injuries Assessment Board has reported that motor accidents accounted for 72% of all personal injury claims processed by the board last year.
An analysis of motor liability awards in 2007 indicates that men had fewer claims for motor accidents but secured higher average compensation. Motorists aged between 25 and 44 were recipients of almost half of all compensation awards for motor accidents.
The PIAB analysis of motor liability awards shows that in 2007 men accounted for 47% of claimants while women represented 53%. The overall average compensation awarded for a motor liability claim was €21,707, with men securing average compensation of €22,140, while women received a mean award of €21,313.
Dublin recorded the highest overall percentage of motor liability awards accounting for 23.6% of the total number of awards. This compared to counties Leitrim and Carlow which both witnessed the lowest percentage of total awards at just 0.79%.
Patricia Byron, chief executive of the PIAB, said: “Since 2004, personal injury claims in Ireland (excluding medical negligence) must be processed through the Board rather than through the Courts. The switch to PIAB has seen the Board deliver awards at the same level as the adversarial (Courts) model but four times faster and at 70% less cost. This has resulted in annual cost savings of €40 million and delivered lower insurance premia for consumers. Though PIAB is compulsory for all personal injury claimants, the Board is keen to ensure that claimants benefit from a user-friendly, consumer-focused service that is not just faster and more cost effective but also avoids the stress associated with a Court appearance.
“This data arising from PIAB's 2007 claims profiling should assist in identifying trends in motor accidents, specifically relating to location and injury types, and may assist those involved in the development of risk minimisation programmes."
