Motorists are being warned again of fraudulent drivers who cause car accidents in order to get a healthy insurance payout. New research has shown that there has been a huge rise in the number of rear-end collisions and bogus claims being made to insurance companies for injuries, legal fees and loss of earnings. Overall, this is costing the average driver an extra £44 on their policy.
Motor insurer, Admiral, found that the number of rear-end shunts rose by nine percent last year and now account for a quarter of all collisions on the road. Over 405,000 claims were made last year by motorists who had a similar accident and Admiral checked 200,000 of these as part of a fraud investigation. They found that 27% involved another car hitting the driver directly from behind.
The Association of British Insurers revealed that accidents like these are a common cause of whiplash injuries and this can cost insurers around £1.9billion a year and is responsible for 75% of all injury claims.
Sue Longthorn, Admiral managing director, said: "We have seen a significant rise in rear-end accidents in one year and included within this is the increased number of 'slam on the brakes' accidents reported by our customers. These are accidents where a fraudulent motorist will slam on their brakes unexpectedly causing the motorist behind to drive into the back of their vehicle."
She added: "It's very difficult to prove incidents such as these so we would advise all motorists to be aware they are on the increase and it's important to keep your distance from cars in front."
Last month, a gang of 37 fraudsters were found guilty of causing 180 car accidents, in and around Luton, that ended up costing insurance firms £5.3million. Fake documents, including injury claims, hire car bills, loss of earnings claims and legal fees, that would be used to claim compensation, were found by police.
Insurance scams like this cost the industry £3billion a year meaning an increase in premiums for drivers across the country.
Lisa Gilbert is 21 and has been driving for four years. Her insurance premiums have decreased over the last two years as she has got older and been able to build up her no-claims discount. Hearing stories like this, however, would annoy any driver.
"I try and find the cheapest insurance companies to go with to help save a bit of money. My car is the most expensive thing I have to pay out for and I am hardly left with any money at the end of the month. It is irritating to know that I could be paying even less but because so many irresponsible drivers make stupid claims, the rest of us have to pay for it."
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