Britain earns the title whiplash capital of Europe.

A report by the Association of British Insurers (ABI), commissioned on behalf of the UK government’s Transport Select Committee has found that Britain’s excessive compensation culture has given it the embarrassing title of the ‘whiplash capital of Europe’, as 78% of all personal injury claims as a result of road accidents are for whiplash.

The report by ABI has found that Britain has claimed twice as much for whiplash as France, Spain and the Netherlands. The report finds that eight out of ten UK personal injury claims as a result of road accidents are for neck injuries, costing the auto insurance industry £2.2 billion, consequently forcing the industry to add £90 to the average every day drivers premium.

The proportion of personal injury road accident claims relating to whiplash, Britain is top with 78%, followed by Italy with 68%, Sweden with 61%, Netherlands with 35%, Spain with 31%, France with 30% and Denmark with 30%.

James Dalton, the ABI’s head of motor and liability has said: “Insurers remain fully committed to ensuring access to justice for genuine claimants. But the harsh reality is that the UK remains the whiplash capital of Europe, with our “have a go” compensation culture making whiplash the fraud of choice for many. With an annual whiplash bill of £2billion adding an extra £90 a year to the average motor premium, tough action is needed to tackle this problem. Our proposals will ensure that genuine claimants receive access to justice at a proportionate cost, while driving out fraudulent and exaggerated whiplash claims that increase the cost of car insurance for honest motorists.”

In the report, ABI calls for medical assessment of personal injury claims by independent, accredited doctors with the latest training in soft tissue neck injuries. It also calls for a ‘fair and transparent method’ for calculating compensation for minor whiplash injuries, which is set independently.

Transport select committee chairman Louise Ellman has said: “It is vitally important for policymakers to understand the reasons for the very high cost of motor insurance, especially for young drivers, and to take steps to bring that cost down. Whiplash claims undoubtedly play a part in driving up the cost of motor insurance, but access to justice for injured people must be preserved.”