Motor injury claims drop to record low in Q3 2024 – ACSO

The UK government’s Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) has reported a record low of registered motor injury claims in Q3 2024.

According to the claims data, there were 76,678 cases registered between 1 July and 30 September this year.

That reflected a near 11% fall compared to the same period last year, in which 85,830 cases were registered.

The total also trumped the previous record low of 77,785 cases registered between 1 April and 30 June 2024.

Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director at the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO), said the figures from the CRU “reflect the continuing impact of the government’s whiplash reforms, as well as the cumulative effect of other measures taken in recent years”.

“The decline is especially relevant in light of the government’s announcement that it is to investigate the high price of motor insurance through the Motor Insurance Taskforce,” he added.

“Not even the most vociferous advocate for the insurance industry can now assert that soaring premiums are the fault of all those making minor injury claims.”

The transport secretary and economic secretary to the treasury announced the new taskforce to tackle spiralling costs of car insurance industry earlier this month (16 October 2024).

Maxwell Scott urged the government to “make sure that it doesn’t hollow out the market altogether and publish its decision on the new whiplash tariff and uprated costs for medical reports as soon as possible”.

“It is important that the rights of injured people to obtain redress for non-fault accidents are supported by ministers,” he added.

“Volume injury claims and firms who help injured people need a sustainable future.”

Claim categories

Although employer liability and clinical negligence were broadly stable, the data further showed a significant increase in public liability claims.

Between 1 July and 30 September this year, a total of 18,179 public liability claims were registered – that reflected a 25% increase on the 14,545 claims registered in the same period last year and a 32% increase on the previous quarter.

Between 1 April and 30 June 2024, 13,806 public liability claims were registered.

Maxwell Scott said: “It is not clear what lies behind such a substantive increase in claims and whether this is a blip or part of an emerging trend.”