Whiplash claims now make up about 70 per cent of all motor accident personal injury claims. Whiplash injuries are caused by the neck and head being thrown suddenly backward then forward during the accident. The neck and head are forced beyond their normal range of movement and this results in damage to soft tissue and pain. Most people make a full recovery from this type of injury and, where neck and back symptoms last perhaps three to six months, courts will award damages of between £1,500 and £3,000. Because whiplash does not involve broken bones, there are few objective signs of injury. At the moment, claims for whiplash injuries are under fire from the Westminster government and the insurance industry because there is clear temptation for exaggeration of symptoms by claimants. The House of Commons Transport Select Committee heard evidence in 2011 that the insurance industry loses £2.1 billion per annum to fraudulent claims, whether by “cash for crash” staged accidents or Continue Reading