Insurer proposes 3-day limit on whiplash claims

Published: 18/07/2013

Despite the implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 earlier in the year, the war on whiplash claims is far from over with calls by one insurer to significantly reduce the time an accident victim has to claim for whiplash.

Axa wants the UK to adopt a similar model to that employed in France and Sweden where a potential claimant has just three days to make a claim for whiplash and provide evidence of physical injury such as an MRI scan or x-ray.

The insurance giant believes further change is needed in order to eradicate fraudulent and exaggerated claims which would then lead to reduced insurance premiums; insurance costs in France and Sweden are approximately 33% and 46% less than those in the UK respectively.

The idea however has been met with fierce criticism and described by some as totally unrealistic.

Critics have been quick to point out just how unfeasible a three-day window would be particularly if you were to have an accident on a Friday evening. There is also a lot of frustration at the insurer’s apparent ignorance surrounding the diagnosis of whiplash; not only can this type of injury take time to manifest itself but a soft tissue injury would not be picked up on an x-ray or scan.

Whiplash can be a debilitating injury which can have a long term impact on a sufferer; with one in five experiencing symptoms for more than a year.

Content correct at time of publication